misinformation

noun

mis·​in·​for·​ma·​tion ˌmis-ˌin-fər-ˈmā-shən 

: 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

The budget includes nearly $1 million to support efforts to fight misinformation about state elections. — CBS News, 30 June 2026

Authorities have also warned against misinformation circulating online, including false claims about infrastructure failures and casualty figures. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026

Press speculation and misinformation clouded many details of the Black Dahlia case, including the origin of the nickname. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 June 2026

The reshaping of society by a small cadre of tech-billionaires whose actions are nurturing mass surveillance for marketing and political purposes, widespread technological unemployment, and a culture of misinformation and disinformation is clearly anti-democratic. — Wendell Wallach, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misinformation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration