misinterpret

verb mis·in·ter·pret \ ˌmi-sᵊn-ˈtər-prət , -pət \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of misinterpret

transitive verb

1 : to explain wrongly

His comment on the speech misinterprets the speaker's meaning.

2 : to understand wrongly

Her silence should not be misinterpreted as consent.

—

misinterpretation

play \ˌmi-sᵊn-ˌtər-prə-ˈtā-shən, -pə-\ noun

See misinterpret defined for English-language learners

See misinterpret defined for kids

Examples of misinterpret in a Sentence

He claims that his statements have been misinterpreted by the media.
Her silence should not be misinterpreted as consent.

Recent Examples of misinterpret from the Web

No matter that both Schoenecker and Koopman may be misinterpreting his message, Deininger sides with the student.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The artist behind gun T-shirt says both sides in Wisconsin school controversy are missing the point," 16 Apr. 2018
Some of the comments Acheson made had been misinterpreted, and others could not be verified, the investigation concluded.

— keith bierygolick, Cincinnati.com, "How charges of 'inappropriate touching' divided a band, parents and the City of Mason," 11 Apr. 2018
This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted concept…has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.

— jason sokol, Time, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s Vision Was More Global Than We Remember. The World Mourned Him Accordingly," 4 Apr. 2018
Meanwhile, Caleb might be misinterpreting the entire situation.

— bill keveney, USA TODAY, "Exclusive 'Modern Family' video: With Phil ill, jealousy bug bites Cam in 200th episode," 10 Jan. 2018
Harder told the Guardian that the initial claims in the suit had been misinterpreted.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Melania Trump Settles Defamation Lawsuit with the Daily Mail," 12 Apr. 2017
Some fans on blogging site Tumblr misinterpreted the comment to mean that Kiyoko was slamming Swift for writing about her past relationships with men.

— rania aniftos, Billboard, "Taylor Swift Defends Hayley Kiyoko After Fans Slammed Her For Saying Swift Only Sings About Men," 30 Mar. 2018
Ronda Rousey’s tour of ESPN shows on Tuesday was super-awkward between a misinterpreted Golic and Wingo question and an exchange between the MMA/WWE star and Max Kellerman.

— charles curtis, For The Win, "Ronda Rousey hilariously compared ESPN's 'Get Up' crew to 'Lord of the Rings' characters," 28 Mar. 2018
His remarks were misinterpreted as having provided a definitive timeline for his retirement.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "Report: Hayes To Remain At UTC 3 To 5 Years, But CEO Says He's Staying Put," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'misinterpret.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of misinterpret

1547

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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MISINTERPRET Defined for English Language Learners

misinterpret

verb

Definition of misinterpret for English Language Learners

: to understand or explain (something) incorrectly : to interpret (something) incorrectly

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for misinterpret Spanish Central: Translation of misinterpret Nglish: Translation of misinterpret for Spanish speakers

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misinterpretation

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misinterpretation

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