English Lexicon

Misinterpretation

/ˌmɪsɪntəˈprɪteɪʃən/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The action or fact of explaining or understanding something wrongly.

    "The diplomat warned that the statement was open to misinterpretation by foreign media."
  2. 2

    A false or incorrect explanation or understanding of a text, action, or event.

    "Her silence was treated as a misinterpretation of the company's new policy."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'misinterpretation' is derived from the prefix 'mis-', meaning 'wrongly', and 'interpretation', which comes from the Latin 'interpretatio', meaning 'explanation' or 'translation'. The term has evolved to encompass the act of understanding something incorrectly, particularly in contexts of communication and analysis.

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