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misconstrue

Verb

IPA /ˌmɪskənˈstruː/

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Meaning in plain English

To understand someone's words or actions incorrectly, often by giving them a meaning that the person did not intend.

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Pronunciation

misconstrue/ˌmɪskənˈstruː/

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A person stays silent while thinking
A listener guesses what the silence means
The listener wrongly assumes anger

To misconstrue silence as anger is to give it an unintended meaning.

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Examples in context

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Please do not misconstrue my silence as a sign of anger.
The reviewer misconstrued the study's cautious conclusion as a claim of certainty.

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Please do not ________ my silence as a sign of anger.

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misconstrue — To understand someone's words or actions incorrectly, often by giving them a meaning that the person did not intend.

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To understand someone's words or actions incorrectly, often by giving them a meaning that the person did not intend.

Compare: Please do not misconstrue my silence as a sign of anger.

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Word origin

Formed from mis-, meaning wrongly, and construe, meaning interpret.

Did you know?

Misconstrue something as something identifies both the action and the mistaken interpretation.

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