mischaracterize

verb

mis·​char·​ac·​ter·​ize ˌmis-ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz How to pronounce mischaracterize (audio)
-ˈka-rik-
mischaracterized; mischaracterizing

transitive verb

: to characterize (someone or something) wrongly
mischaracterized his position on the issue
In many cases, the problems that the news media, activists, and politicians hype are real enough; however they are frequently greatly exaggerated and mischaracterizedBenjamin Radford

Examples of mischaracterize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The intense opposition has greatly troubled workers’ advocates, many of whom have called on Biden to take more aggressive action to ensure companies do not mischaracterize workers as independent contractors simply to save money — denying them better pay and other rights in the process. Tony Romm, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the amount of daily sodium recommended by the FDA. Linda Carroll, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024 Even major news outlets can mischaracterize crucial details about breaking stories. Jonathan Freger, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Hunter Biden had initially balked at the committee's request to interview him behind closed doors for fear of Republicans mischaracterizing his testimony in the same way that his confidant Kevin Morris has accused them of doing. Will Steakin, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2024 View in new tab In a four-page letter sent late Wednesday, Mayes said Livingston mischaracterized her office's investigation. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2024 Special counsel rebuts Hunter Biden's attempt to dismiss his felony gun charges Hunter Biden had initially balked at the committee's request to interview him behind closed doors for fear of Republicans mischaracterizing his testimony in the same way that Morris has accused them of doing. Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2024 Unregistered South Carolinians would need to register by Thursday in order to be eligible to vote. Correction: The story initially mischaracterized Rubens’ interest in supporting a No Labels ticket. David Catanese, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2024 Palmer added that date estimates were also off, and some stone features were mischaracterized as natural formations, while others were missing entirely. B. “toastie” Oaster, ProPublica, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mischaracterize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mischaracterize was in 1798

Dictionary Entries Near mischaracterize

Cite this Entry

“Mischaracterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischaracterize. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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