mischaracterize

verb

mis·​char·​ac·​ter·​ize ˌmis-ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz How to pronounce mischaracterize (audio)
-ˈka-rik-
mischaracterized; mischaracterizing

transitive verb

: 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 mischaracterizedBenjamin 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.
Lasting peace is needed, however, this peace will not be achieved if the war continues to be mischaracterized as a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025 The league’s media partners chose to ignore the club’s persistent good luck, while often mischaracterizing the Chargers’ ineptitude — all the Chargering — as bad luck. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025 Baldoni and his publicists have countered that Lively defamed them by taking text messages out of context and mischaracterizing their interactions. William Earl, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025 Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump often presented distorted views of the health of the labor market, with the Democratic angle largely focusing solely on headline labor market growth and Trump mischaracterizing the gains solely as a pandemic rebound. Derek Saul, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Mischaracterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischaracterize. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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