What does misinform mean?
To misinform is to give another person information that is false, inaccurate, or deliberately misleading. The verb is especially associated with communication that presents incorrect claims as reliable facts, whether the distortion is intentional or results from carelessness, prejudice, or a mistaken source. People may misinform the public, a journalist, or an audience about a public issue, and the related noun misinformation describes the false information being communicated. The word carries a strong negative connotation because it suggests that the recipient is being denied a truthful account or steered toward a false understanding. It is distinct from simply disagreeing, making an error, or expressing an opinion: what matters is that the information conveyed is false or misleading. In an era of rapid digital communication, the term is frequently used to describe the deliberate spread of inaccurate claims.
verbTo give someone false or misleading information, whether deliberately or through ignorance or error. The word especially suggests telling someone something untrue as though it were accurate.
- To give someone false or misleading information.
"The spokesperson was accused of misinform the public about the cause of the outage."
"The advertisement misinformed customers about the product's ingredients."
"She explained that the rumor had been deliberately circulated to misinform voters."
A single false claim can spread through a crowd far faster than a careful correction—while the people who repeat it are, in a sense, also being misinformed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misinform come from?
Misinform is formed in English from the prefix mis-, meaning wrongly or incorrectly, and inform, which comes from Latin informare, “to shape” or “to instruct.” The Latin verb developed the sense of giving information or instruction, which is also the basis of English words such as information, informative, and transform. The prefix mis- reverses or corrupts the meaning of inform, producing a verb for giving false information. The compound is now common in standard English and appears especially frequently in journalism and political discussion.
Related word forms
How misinform is actually used
Common in journalism, politics, education, and everyday discussion. It can describe intentional deception, but it is also used more broadly for inaccurate or misleading information whose source or intent is unclear.
Easily confused with misinform
Misinformation is the false information itself, whereas to misinform is the act of giving someone false or misleading information.