misinformation

noun

mis·​in·​for·​ma·​tion ˌmis-ˌin-fər-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce misinformation (audio)
Synonyms of misinformation
: incorrect or misleading information
Indubitably, a great deal of paranoid and otherwise irresponsible misinformation about the Kennedy assassination has traveled far and sold well …—Ronnie Dugger
A muddle of misinformation keeps clouding the debate over hormone-replacement therapy for women.—Melinda Beck
Each of these pieces of information (and misinformation) about me is sold for about two-fifths of a cent to advertisers, which then deliver me an Internet ad, send me a catalog or mail me a credit-card offer.—Joel Stein

Examples of misinformation 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.
But the broad use of AI without much restriction or regulation has raised concern among both candidates and researchers about the spread of misinformation from the ads. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 New Mexico prosecutors also argued that Facebook allowed misinformation or violent content to proliferate on the platform. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Twenty-six years of resistance, suspicion, and misinformation to reintroduce it. — Raj Panjabi, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026 The ability to dam at least some of the daily overflow of misinformation and misrepresentation is one of the reasons for Pangram’s success and adoption, but Warner said that comes at a cost. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for misinformation

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misinformation was in 1605

Rhymes for misinformation

See All Rhymes for misinformation

Browse Nearby Words

misinform
misinformation
misinformative
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misinformation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misinformation. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on misinformation

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for misinformation

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All