mischaracterize
verb
mis·char·ac·ter·ize
ˌmis-ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz 
-ˈka-rik-
mischaracterized; mischaracterizing
: to characterize (someone or something) wrongly
mischaracterized his position on the issue
In many cases, the problems that the news media, activists, and politicians hype are real enough; however they are frequently greatly exaggerated and mischaracterized …—
Benjamin Radford
Benjamin RadfordExamples of mischaracterize in a Sentence
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Originally Published: April 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM MDT
Correction (updated April 24, 2025): Because of a reporter's error, the original version of this story mischaracterized the level of Democratic support for House Bill 1312 in the state House.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
Cissy wrote a book about Whitney Following Whitney’s 2012 death, Cissy felt that her daughter was being mischaracterized by the media.
—Ilana Frost, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Last week’s press conference led to concern among the autism community and their advocates because many of Kennedy’s statements mischaracterized autism and even insulted autistic people.
—Alison Escalante, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Justice, now a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma, says expectations of strength leave Black women vulnerable to muted emotions or being mischaracterized as angry, which compounds with provider bias, leaving them less likely to get support.
—Essence, 14 Apr. 2025
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Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
Cissy wrote a book about Whitney Following Whitney’s 2012 death, Cissy felt that her daughter was being mischaracterized by the media.
—Ilana Frost, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Last week’s press conference led to concern among the autism community and their advocates because many of Kennedy’s statements mischaracterized autism and even insulted autistic people.
—Alison Escalante, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Justice, now a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma, says expectations of strength leave Black women vulnerable to muted emotions or being mischaracterized as angry, which compounds with provider bias, leaving them less likely to get support.
—Essence, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischaracterize
Cite this Entry
“Mischaracterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischaracterize. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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