Synonyms of misinterpret

misinterpret

verb

ˌmi-sᵊn-ˈtər-prət 

1

as in to misrepresent

to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of

his note on this passage in the novel seriously misinterprets the author's meaning

Synonyms & Similar Words

• misrepresent
• distort
• misstate
• complicate
• falsify
• confuse
• obscure
• pervert
• twist
• garble
• cook
• slant
• warp
• misrelate
• mistake
• censor
• color
• fudge
• bend
• mistranslate
• disguise
• misspeak
• dissemble
• mask
• belie
• camouflage
• misdescribe
• veil
• lie
• whitewash
• gloss (over)
• mystify
• confound
• equivocate
• prevaricate
• bowdlerize
• mix (up)
• palter
• fib

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• explain
• interpret
• clarify
• illustrate
• clear (up)
• illuminate
• spell out
• decipher

2

as in to misunderstand

to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of

we misinterpreted the directions and ended up on the wrong side of town

Synonyms & Similar Words

• misunderstand
• miss
• misconstrue
• misread
• misperceive
• misapprehend
• mistake
• misjudge
• misconceive
• misknow
• mishear
• misdeem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• understand
• know
• see
• perceive
• appreciate
• comprehend
• get
• grasp
• catch
• conceive
• penetrate
• apprehend
• fathom
• seize
• make out
• take in
• grok
• savvy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of misinterpret

Billie, in turn, misinterprets that line as a message about wanting to open their relationship. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026

Testimony is an account and people are often wrong or misinterpret about what happened to them. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2026

The danger is that governments and markets grow accustomed to a Strait of Hormuz that functions only intermittently and misinterpret the stopgap as a resolution. — Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Lyonne was really open to the process and has been misinterpreted so much over the course of her life. — Merve Emre, The New York Review of Books, 11 Aug. 2026