Definition of misconstrue
misconstrued;
misconstruing
transitive verb
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
- I instantly turned away, lest he should see and misconstrue my emotion.
- —Anne Brontë
2
:to misinterpret the meaning, intention, or character of (someone)
- … it is the post-Vietnam revisionists who have most ironically misconstrued [Herman] Melville.
- —Frederick Crews
- … a sad sack whom no one would misconstrue as charming.
- —Karen Karbo
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