misconstrue
verbUK /mɪskənˈstɹuː/
Etymology From Middle English misconstruen, equivalent to mis- + construe.
1
To interpret erroneously, to understand incorrectly; to misunderstand.
- His words were misconstrued as an insult.
- It’s easy to misconstrue her silence as agreement.
4 more examples
- misconstrue the meaning
- misconstrue someone’s intentions
- misconstrue remarks
- 1975: Paul Simon, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover from the album Still Crazy after All These Years. […] furthermore, I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued […]
- Synonyms
- misconstruct, misinterpret, misunderstand, confound, confuse, misanalyze, misapprehend, miscomprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misjudge, mistranslate, mix up
- Antonyms
- comprehend, construe
- Derived terms
- misconstruable, misconstrual, misconstruance, misconstruation, misconstruer