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
Above all, legal experts concluded, Schuck and Smith had misconstrued the Fourteenth Amendment’s purpose.
—Rachel Morris, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
Shortly after, CalPERS presented a rebuttal that said the report lacked context and misconstrued numbers about the pension system’s sustainable investments.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Kimmel was later restored to air and apologized for the way in which his comments, which seemed to imply Kirk's killer was conservative, may have been misconstrued.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
One finding, which was weak and poorly described from the start, got passed on and on, and became increasingly misconstrued to the point where everyone began avoiding all HRT outright—when the benefits often far outweigh the risks.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconstrue
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rachel Morris, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
Shortly after, CalPERS presented a rebuttal that said the report lacked context and misconstrued numbers about the pension system’s sustainable investments.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Kimmel was later restored to air and apologized for the way in which his comments, which seemed to imply Kirk's killer was conservative, may have been misconstrued.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
One finding, which was weak and poorly described from the start, got passed on and on, and became increasingly misconstrued to the point where everyone began avoiding all HRT outright—when the benefits often far outweigh the risks.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Nov. 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 27 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share