misconstrue

verb

mis·​con·​strue ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü 

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

Synonyms

• misapprehend
• misinterpret
• misknow
• misperceive
• misread
• miss
• mistake
• misunderstand

Examples of misconstrue in a Sentence

claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments

Recent Examples on the Web

Stefanik’s resolution condemning Harris deliberately misconstrues the facts of this global shift. —Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 28 July 2024

Travis said Merkel is trying to counteract the council with his social media activity, misconstruing things for his supporters. —Tim Clouser | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 July 2024

To her frustration, the trauma left with so many shooting survivors is frequently misconstrued as courage, Flanagan pointed out. —Jerry Wu, The Mercury News, 19 July 2024

At this point, Kristen Muir halted the interview, allegedly worried that her son's statements would be misconstrued. —David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

misconstrue

verb

mis·​con·​strue

ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü

: to construe wrongly : misinterpret