misinformation

noun

mis·​in·​for·​ma·​tion ˌmis-ˌin-fər-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce misinformation (audio)
: incorrect or misleading information
Indubitably, a great deal of paranoid and otherwise irresponsible misinformation about the Kennedy assassination has traveled far and sold well …Ronnie Dugger
A muddle of misinformation keeps clouding the debate over hormone-replacement therapy for women.Melinda Beck
Each of these pieces of information (and misinformation) about me is sold for about two-fifths of a cent to advertisers, which then deliver me an Internet ad, send me a catalog or mail me a credit-card offer.Joel Stein

Examples of misinformation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rogan and his show had come under fire from medical experts, who accused it of spreading misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 States like Wisconsin have taken the lead on addressing deepfakes — which combine images or videos of candidates — that can deceive voters or spread misinformation. Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024 In the years since, those drumbeats have only grown louder, the misinformation more bleak, the conspiracies more unhinged, the technology more enabling. Makena Kelly, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024 Many young adults began college or a career amid a pandemic and have faced high housing prices, misinformation exacerbated by social media, and a loneliness epidemic, as The Washington Post has previously reported. Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Like elsewhere on the platform since its takeover by Elon Musk, Chinese-language X is increasingly filled with misinformation, propaganda and pornography. Nectar Gan, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Musk avoided answering, instead noting that X has community notes to combat misinformation. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 Some of the delay is because OpenAI reportedly has a set of experts called a red team who, the company has said, will probe the model to understand its capacity for deepfake videos, misinformation, bias, and hateful content. IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2024 The AGs claimed that the Biden administration effectively coerced the platforms to take down posts or accounts spreading what was identified as covid or voting misinformation. Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misinformation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misinformation was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near misinformation

Cite this Entry

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

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