misconceive

verb

mis·​con·​ceive ˌmis-kən-ˈsēv How to pronounce misconceive (audio)
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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of misconceive was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near misconceive

Cite this Entry

“Misconceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconceive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

misconceive

verb
mis·​con·​ceive
ˌmis-kən-ˈsēv
: to form a wrong or mistaken idea of
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