misinterpret

[ mis-in-tur-prit ]

/ ˌmɪs ɪnˈtɜr prɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR misinterpret ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to interpret, explain, or understand incorrectly.

Nearby words

mishpocha, misidentify, misimpression, misinform, misinformation, misinterpret, misjoinder, misjudge, miskito, misknow, miskolc

Origin of misinterpret

First recorded in 1580–90; mis-¹ + interpret

Related forms

mis·in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjectivemis·in·ter·pre·ta·tion, nounmis·in·ter·pret·er, nounun·mis·in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for misinterpretation

But like the book itself, the photo is just another an object for scrutiny, judgment and, inevitably, misinterpretation.
A Picture Says It All Or Does It? Judging an Author by Their Photo|Jennifer Miller|December 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I lost interest in painting after that—it was an art form too open to misinterpretation.
Ma Jian: How I Write|Noah Charney|June 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Najafi told The Daily Beast that perceiving his song as an insult is “a 100 percent misinterpretation.”
Iranian Rapper Shahin Najafi Faces Death Threats for Song Deemed Insult|Omid Memarian|May 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Her online profile has done little to correct the misinterpretation.
Behind the Co-Ed Murder Scandal|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST

The attempt to do so is due in part, I believe, to a misinterpretation of .
Expositor's Bible: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians|James Denney
"Salvator" would be a more exact rendering, but would obviously be liable to misinterpretation.
Odd Bits of History|Henry W. Wolff
Was it a misinterpretation, after all—what Lottie Myers had implied and feared to say?
The Dwelling Place of Light, Complete|Winston Churchill
The confusion plainly arises from a misinterpretation of "him" in "straight was a path of gold for him."
Browning's Heroines|Ethel Colburn Mayne
From all the torrent of misinterpretation Nathaniel gave vent to, one startling impression remained in Priscilla's mind.
The Place Beyond the Winds|Harriet T. Comstock

British Dictionary definitions for misinterpretation

misinterpret

/ (ˌmɪsɪnˈtɜːprɪt) /

verb

(tr) to interpret badly, misleadingly, or incorrectly

Derived Forms

misinterpretation, nounmisinterpreter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012