misperceive
verb
mis·per·ceive
ˌmis-pər-ˈsēv 
misperceived; misperceiving
: to perceive (something) wrongly or improperly
… until recently, experts have paid the placebo effect only grudging respect, some insisting that people who experience it must have simply misperceived either their illness or their recovery.—
Ted Kaptchuk et al.
Ted Kaptchuk et al.Examples of misperceive in a Sentence
humor-challenged members of the audience misperceived the speaker's harmless joke as an insult to their organization
Recent Examples on the Web
How it can be perceived or misperceived out of context.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
According to the researchers, these misperceptions may stop people from speaking up about their concerns and cause policymakers to misperceive how much their constituents care.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2023
Russian pilots could misperceive the escorts as offensive NATO warplanes and engage them, precipitating a disaster with unknown consequences.
—Rebeccah Heinrichs, National Review, 24 Feb. 2022
In this state, the concept extends to dog bites – even if the owner did not intend that Rover would bite anyone and did not anticipate that the dog might misperceive the victim’s intent or might remember the victim was hostile to him in the past.
—Donna Engle, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 8 May 2021
Americans often misperceive historical inequities as personal failures.
—Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
According to the researchers, these misperceptions may stop people from speaking up about their concerns and cause policymakers to misperceive how much their constituents care.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2023
Russian pilots could misperceive the escorts as offensive NATO warplanes and engage them, precipitating a disaster with unknown consequences.
—Rebeccah Heinrichs, National Review, 24 Feb. 2022
In this state, the concept extends to dog bites – even if the owner did not intend that Rover would bite anyone and did not anticipate that the dog might misperceive the victim’s intent or might remember the victim was hostile to him in the past.
—Donna Engle, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 8 May 2021
Americans often misperceive historical inequities as personal failures.
—Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Misperceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misperceive. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share