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
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In a lengthy statement emailed to USA TODAY from a spokesperson, Michaels said Phillip mischaracterized their exchange on the air. Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026 Former Civil Rights Division attorneys on Tuesday accused the Justice Department of cherry-picking from emails and other internal records and deliberately mischaracterizing the factual record. Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2026 An earlier version mischaracterized the figure. Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026 However, LinkedIn says the dispute is overblown and mischaracterizes practices already disclosed in its privacy policy. Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mischaracterize

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mischaracterize was in 1798

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Cite this Entry

“Mischaracterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischaracterize. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.

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