misconstrue

/ˌmɪskənˈstruː/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmɪskənˈstruː/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü/ (ame, mw)

misconstrue — verb

  • misconstruepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • misconstrueshe / she / it
  • misconstruedpast simple
  • misconstruing-ing form

1. to take another person's words, actions, or silence as having a meaning that was

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to take another person's words, actions, or silence as having a meaning that was not intended.

例句

Emre misconstrued Lara's short reply as anger after their meeting.

misconstrue + reply as emotion

The fans misconstrued the singer's joke and started arguing online.

misconstrue + joke

同義詞
  • misinterpret

    slightly more formal and often used for words, signs, or data

  • misunderstand

    broader and more common; it can describe people, instructions, or situations

反義詞
  • understand

    general opposite in context; it means getting the intended meaning

文法句型

misconstrue + object + as + noun/adjective

misconstrue + words/comment/silence/gesture

用法筆記

Usually takes remarks, jokes, silence, or behaviour as its object, often followed by 'as' plus the mistaken meaning.

常見錯誤

❌I misconstrued the question because the room was noisy.
✅I misheard the question because the room was noisy.
💡'misconstrue' means understanding the meaning wrongly, not failing to hear the words clearly.