misinformation
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌmɪs.ɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃən/
ipa: /ˌmɪs.ɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃən/
ipa: /ˌmɪs.ɪn.fəˈmæɪ.ʃən/
rhymes: -eɪʃən
Etymology: From mis- + information.
Senses: examples: text: My intent is not to criticize an unpublished biology paper, but only to demonstrate the ease with which misinformation can creep into popular literature.
ref: 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 87:
text: The Panther Moderns allowed four minutes for their first move to take effect, then injected a second carefully prepared dose of misinformation.
ref: 1984, William Gibson, chapter 4, in Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 62:
text: Liara: Although we seek to understand other species, it seems few of them seek to understand us. The galaxy is filled with rumors and misinformation about my people.
ref: 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-1:
text: Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted dismissing concerns about the Facebook’s role in influencing the US presidential race, his latest acknowledgement that misinformation on the platform has affected elections.
ref: 2017 September 28, Sam Levin, “Mark Zuckerberg: I regret ridiculing fears over Facebook's effect on election”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2025:
text: As someone who studies the impact of misinformation on society, I often wish the young entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley who enabled communication at speed had been forced to run a 9/11 scenario with their technologies before they deployed them commercially.
ref: 2019 September 1, Claire Wardle, “Misinformation Has Created a New World Disorder”, in Scientific American, archived from the original on 01 Apr 2025:
text: Framing everything as a grand conflict against scheming enemies can feel enormously reassuring. And that’s why perhaps the greatest culprit of our era of misinformation may be, more than any one particular misinformer, the era-defining rise in social polarization.
ref: 2021 May 7, Max Fisher, “‘Belonging Is Stronger Than Facts’: The Age of Misinformation”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2021:
text: Early news coverage of this incident on Sunday October 31/Monday November 1 was blighted by misinformation arising from an early Network Rail official statement and a leaked NR log, resulting in TV/radio news reports which were factually inaccurate in at least five fundamentals.
ref: 2021 November 17, Nigel Harris, “Network News: Leaked NR log and statement prompted media chaos”, in RAIL, number 944, page 6:
synonyms: word: counterfact#Noun
word: counterfactual#Noun
word: ;
word: falsedom
word: falsehood
word: falsity
word: falseness
word: terminological inexactitude
word: untruth
word: disinformation
word: fabrication
word: fib
word: leasing
word: lie
word: misinformation
word: misstatement
word: yed
word: alternative fact
word: anti-fact
word: invention
word: bluff
word: bollocks
word: bullshit
word: canard
word: cap
word: chin
word: clanker
word: contradiction
word: cram
word: disinformation
word: fabrication
word: falsehood
word: falsification
word: fib
word: flam
word: goof
word: hoax
word: hummer
word: inveracity
word: inverity
word: jive
word: lie
word: mendacity
word: misinformation
word: mistruth
word: nonsense
word: nontruth
word: pork pie
word: porker
word: porky
word: prevarication
word: red flag
word: rubbish
word: story
word: swack-up
word: tall tale
word: terminological inexactitude
word: untruism
word: untruth
word: whopper
word: wisker
word: yanker
word: yed
coordinate_terms: disinformation
malinformation
glosses: Information that is incorrect, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Derived terms: misinformational
misinformation drive
mythinformation
Related terms: misinform