misinformation

[ mis-in-fer-mey-shuhn ]

noun

1. false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead:

   In the chaotic hours after the earthquake, a lot of misinformation was reported in the news.

Word History and Origins

Origin of misinformation¹

First recorded in 1580–90; mis- ¹( def ) + information ( def )

Example Sentences

We need control over new technologies; and basically misinformation is a major threat to human survival because people are not being informed about what the real situation is.

From Salon

A lot of the misinformation is spread during big events, and it's important to consider who may benefit from false information going viral.

From Salon

TikTok said that users are permitted to share their own stories or experiences about medical treatment as long as it does not contain harmful misinformation.

From BBC

Donald Trump and his agents also engaged in an expert campaign of disinformation and misinformation that demobilized key parts of the Democratic Party’s base and even pushed some of them to vote for Trump.

From Salon

Blumberg elaborated that he fears that vaccine misinformation can snowball into a distrust for other routine care in early childhood, too.

From Salon

Related Words

• falsity
• misreport
• misstatement

Misinformation Vs. Disinformation

What's the difference between misinformation and disinformation?

Misinformation refers to false information, regardless of whether or not it’s intended to mislead or deceive people. Disinformation, in contrast, refers to false information that’s spread with the specific intent of misleading or deceiving people.

Due to their similarity, the terms are sometimes used in overlapping ways. All disinformation is misinformation, but not all misinformation is disinformation. Disinformation is the more specific of the two because it always implies that the false information is being provided or spread on purpose.

Disinformation is especially used in the context of large-scale deception, such as a disinformation campaign by a government that targets the population of another country. Misinformation can be spread with the intent to trick people or just because someone incorrectly thinks it’s true.

This distinction can also be seen in the difference between their verb forms, misinform and disinform. To misinform someone is to provide them with wrong information, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it was intentional. Disinform, which is much less commonly used, means to intentionally provide or spread false information.

One way to remember the difference between misinformation and disinformation is to remember that misinformation can be a mistake, while disinformation is not just false but dishonest.

Here’s an example of misinformation and disinformation used correctly in a sentence.

Example: The intelligence report concluded that the rumors spread prior to the election were not simply the result of misinformation but rather of coordinated disinformation by a foreign power.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between misinformation and disinformation.

Quiz yourself on misinformation vs. disinformation!

Should misinformation or disinformation be used in the following sentence?

The government spread _____ about the location of their army in hopes of tricking the enemy.