misinterpretation

noun

mis·​in·​ter·​pre·​ta·​tion ˌmi-sᵊn-ˌtər-prə-ˈtā-shən 

-pə-

plural misinterpretations

: failure to understand or interpret something correctly

an error caused by misinterpretation of the rules

: a mistaken interpretation

… it soon becomes obvious to workers in the field that misunderstandings and misinterpretations of conventional terms seriously interfere with scholarly communication.

—Juergan Eichhoff

Synonyms of misinterpretation

• misunderstanding

Examples of misinterpretation in a Sentence

his misinterpretation of the ambiguously worded instructions was hardly his fault

Recent Examples on the Web

From Breaking Bad to Fight Club, the misinterpretation of media that skewers the male power fantasy is well established, and the long-gestating HBO sleeper hit Industry, now in its senior season, is no exception to the literacy crisis. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026

Clarity reduces the risk of misinterpretation. —Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026

Beatty said those early misinterpretations frequently determine what evidence exists later. —Stephen Martin, Oklahoma Watch, 13 Jan. 2026

Doubts have been cast on jobs data due to misinterpretations of the labor bureau’s routine reviews of its statistics and its admissions about the difficulty of getting answers to its employment surveys. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misinterpretation

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization