misconstrue

verb

mis·con·strue ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü

misconstrued; misconstruing

Synonyms of misconstrue next

transitive verb

: 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

I instantly turned away, lest he should see and misconstrue my emotion.—

Anne Brontë

: to misinterpret the meaning, intention, or character of (someone)

… it is the post-Vietnam revisionists who have most ironically misconstrued [Herman] Melville.—

Frederick Crews

… a sad sack whom no one would misconstrue as charming.—

Karen Karbo

Examples of misconstrue in a Sentence

claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

One of the most common forms of misinformation continues to be footage taken out of context, including old videos presented as new or aspects of the video being misconstrued. —

Rhona Tarrant, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025 For example, Goldwater Institute's claim that the increase in the bed tax constitutes an unconstitutional tax on a service misconstrues the Arizona Constitution's prohibition on tax increases for services. —

Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 Kidman and Hayek went viral in October 2024 for what appeared to be tension captured on video, but a source told PEOPLE exclusively that the incident had been misconstrued. —

Jen Juneau, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025 In more traditional office environments, unrestrained self-expression can be misconstrued as inappropriate and unprofessional. —

Jack Kelly, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for misconstrue