misinterpretation.

An understanding of words, behavior, or evidence that differs from what they actually mean.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• common misinterpretation
• misinterpretation of a gesture

On the page

The apology corrected a misinterpretation of her silence.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / human behavior. Forms: Countable or uncountable by context; countable singular misinterpretation; plural misinterpretations. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.