misconstrue
verb
mis·con·strue
ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü 
misconstrued; misconstruing
1
: to interpret (something, such as a statement or action) wrongly : misinterpret
misconstrued her words/meaning/silence
He does not want his real name used in the newspaper because even the most innocent statement could be misconstrued here and lead to trouble, he says.—
Lynne Duke
Lynne DukeI instantly turned away, lest he should see and misconstrue my emotion.—Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë2
: to misinterpret the meaning, intention, or character of (someone)
… it is the post-Vietnam revisionists who have most ironically misconstrued [Herman] Melville.—Frederick Crews
Frederick Crews… a sad sack whom no one would misconstrue as charming.—Karen Karbo
Karen KarboExamples of misconstrue in a Sentence
claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments
Recent Examples on the Web
In the Iowa case, Griffin and the other attorneys general argue that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment is being misconstrued and restricting the rights of states to police their own speech.
—Brett Barrouquere, Arkansas Online, 27 June 2025
For one, such a staid outlet may be uncomfortable with reporting that could be offensive or misconstrued as reflecting its editorial line.
—David Silverberg, JSTOR Daily, 13 June 2025
This is the end of Delia’s life as a free person, and the death of the judge is, obviously, going to be misconstrued, misunderstood.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 24 Apr. 2025
Rasmussen believes people would still misconstrue the science regardless, particularly with leaders in the Trump administration who have spent years undermining the safety of vaccines or have a history of promoting dubious supplements.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconstrue
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Brett Barrouquere, Arkansas Online, 27 June 2025
For one, such a staid outlet may be uncomfortable with reporting that could be offensive or misconstrued as reflecting its editorial line.
—David Silverberg, JSTOR Daily, 13 June 2025
This is the end of Delia’s life as a free person, and the death of the judge is, obviously, going to be misconstrued, misunderstood.
—Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 24 Apr. 2025
Rasmussen believes people would still misconstrue the science regardless, particularly with leaders in the Trump administration who have spent years undermining the safety of vaccines or have a history of promoting dubious supplements.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconstrue
Cite this Entry
“Misconstrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconstrue. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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