Meaning & use
misinformation
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
Wrong or misleading facts that are passed on, often by people who believe they are true.
Grammar: Never plural and never 'a': say 'a piece of misinformation'.
Patterns
- spread misinformation
- misinformation about something
Online misinformation about the vaccine spread quickly.
The school sent a letter to correct the misinformation.
She tried not to share misinformation without checking the source.
Common combinations
- spread misinformation
- Rumors can spread misinformation in minutes.
- combat misinformation
- The agency launched a campaign to combat misinformation.
- online misinformation
- Online misinformation made the storm seem worse than it was.
- misinformation about
- There is a lot of misinformation about sleep.
- correct misinformation
- The paper printed a notice to correct the misinformation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disinformation
- Disinformation is false information spread on purpose to mislead, whereas misinformation may be shared by people who do not know it is wrong.
- falsehood
- A falsehood is a single untrue statement, while misinformation is false content in general.
- rumor
- A rumor may be unproven rather than wrong, while misinformation has been shown to be inaccurate.
- propaganda
- Propaganda is one-sided material meant to push a cause, unlike misinformation, which need not have a goal.
Opposites
Word family
- misinform verb
- to give someone wrong facts
- misinformed adjective
- holding wrong ideas because of false information
- information noun
- facts or details about something
- disinformation noun
- deliberately false information
Commonly confused: misinformation or disinformation?
misinformation vs disinformation
Disinformation is meant to deceive, so it implies bad intent, while misinformation does not.
Practice
Maya shared a false health tip because she honestly believed it. This is best described as ______.
Choose one answer.
Misinformation means false material shared without intent to deceive. The other options all imply deliberate deception.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “misinformation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.