MISCONSTRUE Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

misconstrue

verb

ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü

Definition of misconstrue

as in to misunderstand

to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments

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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.

Recent Examples of misconstrue Outsiders may misconstrue these behaviors as evidence that a trauma did not actually happen or that a survivor lacks credibility. — Michele Patterson Ford, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026 His attorneys feared Paul was trying to coax Fauci to say something under oath that could be misconstrued and used to prosecute him. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 Sanchez said that the ruling had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to convince thousands of people to cross by swimming around the border fence. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Sánchez said that the ruling had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to persuade thousands of people to swim around the border fence. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for misconstrue

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misconstrue

Verb

My next question was going to be what do people who haven’t been on a college campus in a while tend to misunderstand about the party scene, and that pandemic shift seems like an answer to that.

— Rachel Cohen Booth, Vox, 23 Oct. 2026
If there was any worry that Sühlmann would misunderstand the brand, it was dispelled the moment the Mission S was unveiled.

— Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of misunderstand

Verb

Many tenant advocates argue not only that cities are misinterpreting SB 1211 but also that the law is poorly written.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Their attorney, Anthony Sabatini, argued that the university had misinterpreted the private messages and reacted to a controversy amplified by news coverage rather than to an actual danger on campus.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of misinterpret

Verb

Officials said the department has reported no instances of misuse under its current auditing practices, although 71% of camera alerts involved misread license plates.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Hope springs eternal though when Ali G misreads a message from an Elvis impersonator named Rocky (Clive Russell) who needs to talk to him ASAP.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of misread

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“Misconstrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misconstrue. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of misconstrue

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