misconstrue

verb

ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü How to pronounce misconstrue (audio)
Definition of misconstruenext
as in to misunderstand
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 misconstrue 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 Sherman misconstrued my letter. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for misconstrue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misconstrue
  1. misunderstand
  2. misinterpret
  3. misread
Verb
  • Ribera insists that this misunderstands the European perspective.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Make the values easier to live, the organization easier to operate and the standard of performance harder to misunderstand.
    — Lou Maiuri, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of misunderstand
Verb
  • Without a way to connect those relationships, critical context gets lost, or misinterpreted, at every handoff.
    — Tom Dunlop, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • But in my experience, if used on its own to diagnose, it can be easily misinterpreted.
    — Andrew McLean, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of misinterpret
Verb
  • In the face of the law, a fan misreading an article is different from a promoter booking the wrong performer.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
  • What officials misread back then was the source of that inflation.
    — Kelly Evans, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of misread

Browse Nearby Words

misconstructions
misconstrue
misconstrued
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Cite this Entry

“Misconstrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misconstrue. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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