misattribute
verb
mis·at·trib·ute
ˌmis-ə-ˈtri-ˌbyüt 
-byət
misattributed; misattributing
: to incorrectly indicate the cause, origin, or creator of (something) : to attribute wrongly
There's still dispute about this Canadian species, which was originally misattributed to Connecticut.—
Kristin Nord
Kristin NordIt also suggests that some of the more elegant clocks traditionally assigned to Concord clockmakers have been misattributed.—Kenneth Joel Zogry
Kenneth Joel ZogryExamples of misattribute in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although Fournier later deleted his posts about Rehberg and acknowledged they were misattributed, Donovan said corrections never have the same amount of engagement as the initial post.
—Mary Spicuzza, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Premo politely turned him down, recalling the time Kendall publicly misattributed a Guru lyric to Phife Dawg.
—Vulture, 24 Apr. 2023
This isn't the first time the video has been misattributed.
—Eleanor McCrary, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2023
Some of his paintings remain lost or misattributed, only described in text, while others that had previously appeared on the art market were sold into private, anonymous hands.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023
Transgender bills: An editorial March 23 about bills restricting the rights of LGBTQ people misattributed the number of such bills filed in state legislatures to Human Rights Watch.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023
The article also misattributed a statement and a quotation about the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank.
—New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
However, fieldwork has indicated that eruptions may have occurred from those volcanoes and misattributed to Tanaga.
—Mark Thiessen, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Mar. 2023
Is that just misattributed anxiety and projection?
—Simon Abrams, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2023
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Mary Spicuzza, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Premo politely turned him down, recalling the time Kendall publicly misattributed a Guru lyric to Phife Dawg.
—Vulture, 24 Apr. 2023
This isn't the first time the video has been misattributed.
—Eleanor McCrary, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2023
Some of his paintings remain lost or misattributed, only described in text, while others that had previously appeared on the art market were sold into private, anonymous hands.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023
Transgender bills: An editorial March 23 about bills restricting the rights of LGBTQ people misattributed the number of such bills filed in state legislatures to Human Rights Watch.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023
The article also misattributed a statement and a quotation about the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank.
—New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023
However, fieldwork has indicated that eruptions may have occurred from those volcanoes and misattributed to Tanaga.
—Mark Thiessen, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Mar. 2023
Is that just misattributed anxiety and projection?
—Simon Abrams, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Misattribute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misattribute. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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