What does misquotation mean?
A misquotation is an inaccurate rendering of something that a person said, written, or published. It can occur through carelessness, misunderstanding, or deliberate manipulation, and it may change the apparent meaning of the original statement without openly acknowledging the alteration. The term is especially common in journalism, politics, academic debate, and discussions of historical or religious texts. Because quotation marks can make a statement appear authoritative, verifying the original wording is important when identifying a misquotation. The word is generally critical: describing an alleged error as a misquotation suggests that the source has been unfairly or inaccurately represented. It is also used in broader figurative senses for repeated distortions of a familiar saying, quotation, or idea. A faithful account of what someone actually said is a verbatim quotation, while a deliberate change that presents those words as the original is generally treated as a misquotation.
nounA misquotation is the act of quoting someone inaccurately, altering their words without indicating that changes have been made. It may be intentional or the result of carelessness or misunderstanding.
- An instance of quoting someone inaccurately.
- The practice or habit of misrepresenting what another person said.
"The politician accused the newspaper of publishing a misquotation that made his position sound far more extreme."
"Several readers pointed out a misquotation in the interview transcript."
"She denied that her summary was a misquotation and supplied the recording as evidence."
The plural is used when referring to multiple inaccurate quotations or instances of quoting incorrectly.
"The editor corrected several misquotations before the article was published."
A few changed words can turn a clear statement into a misquotation, which is why quotation marks do not automatically make a claim accurate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misquotation come from?
The word combines the English prefix “mis-,” meaning wrongly or incorrectly, with “quotation.” “Quotation” entered English from French and ultimately derives from Latin, where its root was associated with counting or saying how many. The prefixed form “misquotation” developed in English to denote an instance of quoting incorrectly.
Related word forms
How misquotation is actually used
A misquotation is countable and is usually introduced by an article: “a,” “an,” or “the.” In journalism, academic discussion, and legal contexts, the term often implies a serious distortion of a source's words.
Easily confused with misquotation
A quotation is a passage attributed to a speaker or source, whereas a misquotation is an inaccurate or altered rendering of that passage.