misconstrue

verb

mis·​con·​strue ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü 

misconstrued; misconstruing

transitive verb

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

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

—Anne Brontë

2

: 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

Synonyms

• misapprehend
• misinterpret
• misknow
• misperceive
• misread
• miss
• mistake
• misunderstand

Examples of misconstrue in a Sentence

claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments

Recent Examples on the Web

Nicole Kidman and Salma Hayek went viral this week for what appeared to be tension captured on video, but a source tells PEOPLE exclusively that the incident has been misconstrued. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024

Beckham noted that while the accessibility of designers at smaller brands often lends itself to custom work compared to heritage brands, that accessibility can also sometimes be misconstrued. —Kristen Tauer, WWD, 19 Sep. 2024

Conversations like this can be awkward and, if approached incorrectly, may even be misconstrued as a sign of infidelity or mistrust. —James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, Md, Verywell Health, 14 Sep. 2024

However, experts told NBC News that Musk and the account have been misconstruing the court orders and Brazilian laws. —Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

misconstrue

verb

mis·​con·​strue

ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü

: to construe wrongly : misinterpret