SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
misinterpret
verb
To understand or explain the meaning of something incorrectly.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Understand incorrectly
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topMisinterpret can concern a text, observation, or event; it does not necessarily involve deliberate distortion.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See misinterpret in use
Without the final paragraph, a reader could misinterpret the author's conclusion.
In a second scene, a traveler said the cafe had become much quieter since the manager's brother left, giving the remark an overtone of relief. Jo intended the line to intimate a family disagreement without explaining its entire history. A reader might misinterpret that hint as proof that the brother had been dismissed, although the story supplied no such fact.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license