misconstrue
verb
mis·con·strue
ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü 
misconstrued; misconstruing
1
: to interpret (something, such as a statement or action) wrongly : misinterpret
misconstrued her words/meaning/silence
He does not want his real name used in the newspaper because even the most innocent statement could be misconstrued here and lead to trouble, he says.—
Lynne Duke
Lynne DukeI instantly turned away, lest he should see and misconstrue my emotion.—Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë2
: to misinterpret the meaning, intention, or character of (someone)
… it is the post-Vietnam revisionists who have most ironically misconstrued [Herman] Melville.—Frederick Crews
Frederick Crews… a sad sack whom no one would misconstrue as charming.—Karen Karbo
Karen KarboExamples of misconstrue in a Sentence
claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments
Recent Examples on the Web
Donald Trump suggested America could join King Charles III's Commonwealth prompting a MAGA backlash—though some may have misconstrued exactly what membership of the voluntary association of 56 states might actually mean in practice.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Still, certain forms of protest have been ruled out, several House Democrats said: Some members, for example, fear that eggs used to symbolize rising inflation could be misconstrued as potential projectiles.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 4 Mar. 2025
However, lawyers representing some of the migrants argued that assertion not only conflicts with the timeline of events but also misconstrues when the United States loses jurisdiction of the noncitizens.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
The sisters try to provide it within the boundaries of limited time and not being misconstrued as official Vatican spokespeople.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
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Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Still, certain forms of protest have been ruled out, several House Democrats said: Some members, for example, fear that eggs used to symbolize rising inflation could be misconstrued as potential projectiles.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 4 Mar. 2025
However, lawyers representing some of the migrants argued that assertion not only conflicts with the timeline of events but also misconstrues when the United States loses jurisdiction of the noncitizens.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
The sisters try to provide it within the boundaries of limited time and not being misconstrued as official Vatican spokespeople.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconstrue
Cite this Entry
“Misconstrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconstrue. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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