misinterpret

verb

mis·​in·​ter·​pret ˌmi-sᵊn-ˈtər-prət 

-pət

misinterpreted; misinterpreting; misinterprets

transitive verb

1

: to explain wrongly

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

2

: to understand wrongly

Their silence should not be misinterpreted as consent.

Synonyms of misinterpret

• misrepresent
• distort

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 on the Web

Individuals may worry that symptoms will be misinterpreted as disengagement, unreliability, or lack of motivation. —Diane Winiarski, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

That’s kind of a thing that’s misinterpreted. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 17 June 2026

Longtime Spurs fan Gomez explained on her Instagram Stories that her comment on the post had been misinterpreted. —Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026

Not to be misinterpreted (and to keep with the interview motif), Lestat also invites Daniel (Eric Bogosian) to shoot a documentary of the band’s first tour. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misinterpret

• reinterpret
• interpret

Kids Definition

misinterpret

verb

mis·​in·​ter·​pret ˌmis-ᵊn-ˈtər-prət 

-pət

: to understand or explain wrongly

misinterpretation

-ˌtər-prə-ˈtā-shən 

-pə-ˈtā-

noun