as in misunderstood
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 misconstrued
This can also help public audiences more easily identify when science is being misconstrued and misinterpreted.
—
Kirstin R.w. Matthews, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
Attorney John Dillon, who represents Knife Rights and the other plaintiffs, argued that Friday’s ruling misconstrued the law.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Unfortunately, this misconstrued species name stuck.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
That reminds me a lot of the ways footage or stories around trans people and their actions in the world can be distorted and misconstrued and twisted in a different way to work against us.
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2026
Some of the viral videos and social media posts have misconstrued publicly available information.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Ryan Heiden, a labor attorney working with the city from Milwaukee firm von Briesen & Roper, advised the committee against putting any intentions in writing, warning that it could be misconstrued if in the years to come the two departments do indeed merge.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 19 Dec. 2025
But the two that sometimes get misconstrued are Musical Influence and Musical Excellence.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
His status as an orphan, a tea boy, both made his presence possible and humiliated him, for his presence could not be misconstrued, must be exceptional.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Kirstin R.w. Matthews, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
Attorney John Dillon, who represents Knife Rights and the other plaintiffs, argued that Friday’s ruling misconstrued the law.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Unfortunately, this misconstrued species name stuck.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
That reminds me a lot of the ways footage or stories around trans people and their actions in the world can be distorted and misconstrued and twisted in a different way to work against us.
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2026
Some of the viral videos and social media posts have misconstrued publicly available information.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
Ryan Heiden, a labor attorney working with the city from Milwaukee firm von Briesen & Roper, advised the committee against putting any intentions in writing, warning that it could be misconstrued if in the years to come the two departments do indeed merge.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 19 Dec. 2025
But the two that sometimes get misconstrued are Musical Influence and Musical Excellence.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025
His status as an orphan, a tea boy, both made his presence possible and humiliated him, for his presence could not be misconstrued, must be exceptional.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misconstrued
Verb
-
The crowd’s reaction, like so much collective behavior in Japan, could easily be misunderstood by outsiders.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Democrats stand for upholding the Constitution and Rule of Law but have been misunderstood by the electorate.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The phrase began as a chant at a 2021 NASCAR race, where a reporter misinterpreted both the verb and the name addressed to Biden.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
-
In an interview included in the documentary, Smith said the gesture by him and Carlos was often misinterpreted.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The financial consequences of misreading customer sentiment underscore the stakes.—
Betsy Atkins,
Fortune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Perhaps chalk it up to her misreading the room or being overeager.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misconstrued.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misconstrued. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
