misinterpret
/ˌmɪsɪnˈtɜːprət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmɪsɪnˈtɜːrprət/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌmi-sᵊn-ˈtər-prət -pət/ (ame, mw)
misinterpret — verb
- misinterpretpresent simple I / you / we / they
- misinterpretshe / she / it
- misinterpretedpast simple
- misinterpreting-ing form
1. to take in what someone says or does and end up with a meaning different from wh
to take in what someone says or does and end up with a meaning different from what was actually intended
Esteban misinterpreted his coach's silence as anger when she was simply thinking.
misinterpret + as + noun for assigning a wrong meaning
Tourists often misinterpret the hand gesture as rude in Linh's hometown.
misinterpret + noun + as + adjective for cultural readings
Christopher misinterpreted the recipe and added salt instead of sugar to the cake.
Please don't misinterpret my smile — I'm just being polite, not flirting.
The dog misinterpreted Caleb's wave as a signal to fetch the stick.
- misunderstand
broader and more everyday; 'misinterpret' suggests reading meaning into something
- misread
common for signals, situations, or people's intentions
- get wrong
informal; covers any kind of error in grasping meaning
- grasp
more emphatic — fully take in the meaning
文法句型
misinterpret + noun phrase
misinterpret + as + noun
用法筆記
Object is usually a message, signal, gesture, look, comment, or feeling — something that can be received and read. Often appears with 'as' introducing the wrong reading.
常見錯誤
2. to give an account of a text, law, set of figures, or work of art that does not
to give an account of a text, law, set of figures, or work of art that does not match its real meaning
The lawyer accused the witness of deliberately misinterpreting the new tax law.
common in legal and technical contexts
Critics said the director misinterpreted the play by setting it on the moon.
misinterpret + a creative work
Omar argued the journalist had misinterpreted the survey results to push a story.
Some scholars believe earlier translators misinterpreted this verse for centuries.
Sivan worried the new teacher might misinterpret the old poem for the students.
- misconstrue
formal; common in legal and academic writing
- distort
stronger — often suggests deliberate twisting, not honest error
- misrepresent
implies giving others a false picture, sometimes on purpose
- interpret
the neutral counterpart — to explain the meaning
文法句型
misinterpret + noun phrase (data / law / text)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is actively presenting an account to others (translating, ruling, reviewing, reporting), not merely forming a private impression. Object is typically a text, law, data set, or artwork.