CEFR C1

misconstrued

verb

Meaning

Interpret a person's words or actions in the wrong way.

Examples

Please do not misconstrue my silence as agreement with your proposal.
His innocent joke was misconstrued by the audience as a personal attack.

Synonyms: misunderstand, misinterpret, misread, misconstrue

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misconstrued (C1)

verb

Pronunciation: /ˌmɪskənˈstruː/

Definition

Interpret a person's words or actions in the wrong way.

Examples

Please do not misconstrue my silence as agreement with your proposal.
His innocent joke was misconstrued by the audience as a personal attack.
She worried that her hesitation might be misconstrued as a lack of confidence.

How to Use misconstrued

misconstrue something as something (collocation): To incorrectly label or view one thing as another. — "Do not misconstrue his quiet demeanor as arrogance."
be misconstrued by someone (collocation): The state of having one's actions or words understood incorrectly by others. — "Her intentions were frequently misconstrued by the press."

Synonyms of misconstrued

Words with a similar meaning to misconstrued:

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