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

• misunderstanding

Examples of misinterpretation in a Sentence

his misinterpretation of the ambiguously worded instructions was hardly his fault

Recent Examples on the Web

Press junkets came with loaded questions about his background, early websites were devoted to hating Jar Jar, and there were misinterpretations about the character's intentions. —Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 13 July 2025

Simple terms also leave less room for mistakes and misinterpretation. —Adrian Dearnell, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

If a robot’s misinterpretation of data causes a surgical error, for example, is the surgeon at fault for not intervening, or does the blame lie with the technology providers? —IEEE Spectrum, 21 May 2025

Coupled with significant variations depending on the therapeutic area, the drug being tested or the study goals, there are numerous potential points of failure and opportunities for misinterpretation. —Martin Snyder, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

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