misconceive

verb

mis·​con·​ceive ˌmis-kən-ˈsēv 

misconceived; misconceiving

1

transitive : to form a wrong idea of (something) : misunderstand

To think about poverty as mainly an underclass or minority issue is not only to misconceive it, but also to wall it off and make it alien.

—Mark Jonathan Harris

… I thought I had misconceived their true characters …

—Herman Melville

2

intransitive dated : to hold a wrong idea or conception

misconceiver noun

plural misconceivers

Synonyms of misconceive

• misunderstand
• underestimate
• mistake
• misjudge

Examples of misconceive in a Sentence

misconceived the scope of the nation's financial crisis

Recent Examples on the Web

In failing to appreciate as much, the Court misconceives the plaintiff's injury, allowing the Executive’s likely infringement of the Legislature’s power of the purse and authority to regulate federal property in the District of Columbia to continue. — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for misconceive

• disbelieve
• interweave
• undeceive
• achieve
• believe
• conceive
• deceive
• naive
• perceive
• receive
• relieve
• reprieve

Kids Definition

misconceive

verb

mis·​con·​ceive

ˌmis-kən-ˈsēv

: to form a wrong or mistaken idea of