What does misinforming mean?
Misinforming is the present participle of the verb misinform, meaning to give someone false or misleading information. It is used when a person or organization communicates something inaccurate, incomplete in a misleading way, or otherwise likely to produce a false understanding. The word often appears in public controversy, journalism, health communication, and political reporting, as in 'misinforming the public' and 'misinforming voters.' Although it can imply deliberate deception, it may also describe accidental or negligent inaccuracy. In modifier position, misinforming can characterize a statement, report, or campaign. The word is especially useful because it identifies not merely a lack of information but the provision of information that actively distorts someone's understanding. It should be distinguished from misinformed, which describes someone who holds inaccurate information, and from misinformation, which names the false information itself.
verbTo give someone false or misleading information.
- Giving someone false or misleading information.
"The spokesperson was accused of misinforming the public about the risks of the medication."
"Employees who misinform customers about refund policies may expose the company to legal liability."
"The article was criticized for misinforming readers about the study's findings."
Misinforming turns an ordinary gap in knowledge into a picture of reality that is actively wrong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misinforming come from?
The English verb misinform was formed by combining the prefix mis-, meaning 'wrongly' or 'incorrectly,' with inform, meaning 'to tell' or 'to instruct.' Inform derives from Latin informare, formed from in-, meaning 'into,' and forma, meaning 'shape'; the Latin verb originally meant 'to shape' and came to mean 'to instruct.' The same Latin root underlies information, informant, informative, and transformation, while misinformation is an English derivative of misinform.
Related word forms
How misinforming is actually used
The term has a generally negative connotation and can describe either deliberate deception or the inadvertent provision of incorrect information. Its -ing form may also function adjectivally in phrases such as 'misinforming statements'.
Easily confused with misinforming
Misinforming is an active process of giving false information, whereas misinformed describes the resulting state or the person who received it.
Misinforming is a verb describing an act, while misinformation is the false or misleading information itself.