Meanings
present singular third person misinterprets · participle present misinterpreting · participle past misinterpreted · past misinterpreted
- To make an incorrect interpretation; to misunderstand.
1 more example
For Ralph, any encouragement is too much. When Lisa gives Ralph a valentine bearing that locomotive pun that so affected The Simpsons’ showrunner, Ralph misinterprets the gesture as a genuine display of romantic interest rather than a gesture of pity from a thoughtful young geek to a friendless goober.
2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 23 Oct 2013
Synonyms & antonyms
verbinterpret in the wrong way
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
- Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
- Proto-Germanic*missaz
- Proto-Germanic*missa-
- Proto-West Germanic*missa-
- Old Englishmis-
- Middle Englishmys-
- Englishmis-
- Englishinterpret
- Englishmisinterpret
Translations
French mésinterpréter
- mésinterpréterto interpret wrongly
German missverstehen
- missverstehento interpret wrongly
Greek παρερμηνεύω
- παρερμηνεύω (parerminévo)to interpret wrongly
Norwegian Bokmål mistolke, feiltolke
- mistolketo interpret wrongly
- feiltolketo interpret wrongly
Polish błędnie interpretować, błędnie zinterpretować
- błędnie interpretowaćto interpret wrongly
- błędnie zinterpretowaćto interpret wrongly
Spanish malinterpretar
- malinterpretarto interpret wrongly
Swedish misstolka, misstyda
- misstolkato interpret wrongly
- misstydato interpret wrongly
- feltolkato interpret wrongly
- vantolkato interpret wrongly
Cite this entry
misinterpret. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misinterpret
“misinterpret.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misinterpret. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misinterpret,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misinterpret.
Source: misinterpret on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.