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misquotation

American  
[mis-kwoh-tey-shuhn] / ˌmɪs kwoʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of misquoting.

  2. an instance or occasion of misquoting or of being misquoted.


Etymology

Origin of misquotation

First recorded in 1765–75; mis- 1 + quotation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The fact-check flagged a misquotation that should have been rendered as a paraphrase.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2022

The misquotation came from an opinion essay in The Wall Street Journal that has since been corrected.

From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2019

O’Brien’s conversation often turns to literary quotation—and, at times, to lively misquotation.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 7, 2019

By breaking the rule, Scalia had brought the misquotation on himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2016

Ignorance has too often been replaced by conjecture, and conjecture by misquotation and the false authority of "common knowledge" engendered by the repetition of legendary histories from one generation of textbooks to the next.

From On the Origin of Clockwork, Perpetual Motion Devices, and the Compass by Price, Derek J. de Solla (Derek John de Solla)