Skip to main content
misreading

misreading

6 4.0
A wrong idea about what someone wrote or said
  • noun
  • /ˌmɪsˈriːdɪŋ/
translation icon : mala interpretación
  • His misreading of the instructions led to a mistake in the final project.
  • misreading of the evidence
  • misreading of theory
  • pleasurable misreading

And so that was one form of misreading what was going on in the Arab Spring.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And so that was one form of misreading what was going on in the Arab Spring.

  • Your interpretation seems to be based on a gross misreading of this very lighthearted article.

    Blog text (25)
  • I think it may be a question not of misreading but of not reading.

    Blog text (25)
  • Indeed, there is nothing in the report to indicate that would be a misreading.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The tragedy is caused by a misreading of bloody evidence.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Under the circumstances, this was a gross misreading of the new realities in the area.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Driven largely by ideology, this misreading of the region has had profound impacts on policy and foreign aid.

    Academic text (2005)
  • After the outbreak of war, many Israeli officials acknowledged their misreading of Hezbollah.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Such interpretations proved to be a monumental misreading of events to come.

    Academic text (1992)
  • That's probably a misreading of the case based on abstractions of the virtues.

Synonyms

misunderstanding
vsmisreading
243 1.6

When someone does not understand something correctly and this causes a problem

is the same idea but limited to mistaken readings or heard words
misperception
vsmisreading
12 6.8

A wrong idea about something

is narrower, relating to wrong interpretation of verbal or written text
misinterpretation
vsmisreading
11 6.0

A wrong understanding of something that leads to wrong conclusions

is focused on mistakes when reading or hearing text or speech
misapprehension
vsmisreading
5 7.5

A wrong idea about what something means

is about incorrect interpretation that arises from reading or hearing language
misconstruction
vsmisreading
1 8.3

A wrong idea about what someone said or meant

is limited to wrong interpretation of written or spoken words
misprision
vsmisreading
  • Archaic
9.9

A wrong understanding of what someone wrote or said

is about wrong interpretation specifically of written or spoken words
misconstrual
vsmisreading
9.3

A wrong idea about what someone says or does

is narrower, applying to wrong readings of written or spoken words
miscomprehension
vsmisreading
7.9

A failure to understand something correctly

is specific to errors that come from reading or hearing words

How Accurate

interpretation
314 4.4
misreading
6 4.0

Surface Forms

misreading singular
misreadings plural

Morphology

misreading = misread (transparent) = mis + read + ing

Formed from the negative prefix 'mis-' + the verb 'read' with the nominal/gerundive suffix '-ing', so the sense 'an incorrect interpretation' follows directly from its parts.

Etymology

Misreading comes from the prefix mis- meaning 'wrong' and the word read, so it literally means a 'wrong reading'. Think of the same mis- in mistake or misunderstand, which shows why a misreading is an incorrect interpretation of words.