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.

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Etymology

Origin of misquotation

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

Example Sentences

It is not clear how Ziegler’s misquotation wound up in the published opinion of a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2025

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

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2022

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

From The New Yorker • Oct. 7, 2019

In the book, Mr. Sullivan offers 10 common “mechanisms” that he says lead to misquotation and incorrect attribution.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2017

No, not that, Deacon," says the minister, to whom a misquotation was like a wound in the flesh; "the last thing I want is to inherit the earth.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 90, April, 1865 by Various