Meaning & use
misinform
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To give someone false or inaccurate information, often without intending to deceive.
Grammar: Takes an object: misinform someone. Often used in passive: be misinformed about something.
Patterns
- misinform someone
- misinform someone about something
- be misinformed about something
The newspaper misinformed the public about the new law.
I was misinformed about the meeting time, so I arrived an hour late.
He didn't mean to misinform you; he simply repeated what he had heard.
Word forms
| third person singular | misinforms |
|---|---|
| past tense | misinformed |
| past participle | misinformed |
| -ing form | misinforming |
Common combinations
- misinform the public
- The government was accused of misinforming the public about the risks.
- be misinformed about
- Many people are misinformed about how taxes work.
- deliberately misinform
- He deliberately misinformed his colleagues to protect himself.
- misinform someone on purpose
- She would never misinform someone on purpose.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mislead
- Mislead often suggests intentionally causing someone to believe something false, while misinform can be accidental.
- deceive
- Deceive strongly implies deliberate lying or trickery; misinform is broader and can include honest mistakes.
- give wrong information
- This phrase is more neutral and direct, while misinform is slightly formal.
Opposites
Word family
- misinformation noun
- False or inaccurate information, especially when spread widely.
- misinformed adjective
- Having wrong information; based on false facts.
Commonly confused: misinform or misinterpret? misinform or misrepresent?
misinform vs misinterpret
Misinterpret means to understand something wrongly, while misinform means to give someone wrong information.
misinform vs misrepresent
Misrepresent means to describe something in a way that is not true, often deliberately; misinform focuses on giving false information to someone.
Practice
The article ______ readers about the side effects of the drug, so many were alarmed unnecessarily.
Choose one answer.
Misinformed fits because it means gave false or inaccurate information. Misinterpreted means understood wrongly, misrepresented means described falsely, and misled implies deliberate deception, which is not stated here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “misinform”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.