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

Success in public-health prevention is difficult to spot, and success in preventing a pandemic can be misconstrued as a failure or a misappropriation of funds. —Michael Mina, TIME, 9 May 2024

This is often because owners are misconstrued as having an unfair ‘upper hand’ in landlord-tenant litigation. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 8 May 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