mischaracterize

verb

mis·char·ac·ter·ize ˌmis-ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz

-ˈka-rik-

mischaracterized; mischaracterizing

: to characterize (someone or something) wrongly

mischaracterized his position on the issue

In many cases, the problems that the news media, activists, and politicians hype are real enough; however they are frequently greatly exaggerated and mischaracterized …—

Benjamin Radford

Examples of mischaracterize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Stephanopoulos mischaracterized Trump as having been found liable for rape in a civil trial. —

Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024 Representatives for the brothers have previously denied any wrongdoing to those allegations. Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized when the Alexander brothers were publicly accused of wrongdoing. —

Kara Scannell, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024 Correction:An earlier version of this story mischaracterized The Speakeasy's business model. —

Alysa Guffey, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Nov. 2024 His attorneys allege the feds have mischaracterized critical facts in an effort to ensure Combs’ bail request is denied. —

Jager Weatherby, New York Daily News, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mischaracterize

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of mischaracterize was in 1798

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mischaracterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischaracterize. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

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