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
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
However, Dupri felt like his tweet was misconstrued and decided to address it a week later on the New Rory and Mal podcast.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2025
Fact check: Post misconstrues video of Trump at Gabbard's swearing-in
At Obama’s request, the Hawaii State Health Department released a copy of his original birth certificate in April 2011.
—Katie Smith, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconstrue
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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
However, Dupri felt like his tweet was misconstrued and decided to address it a week later on the New Rory and Mal podcast.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2025
Fact check: Post misconstrues video of Trump at Gabbard's swearing-in
At Obama’s request, the Hawaii State Health Department released a copy of his original birth certificate in April 2011.
—Katie Smith, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 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 25 Mar. 2025.
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