misquotation

American  

[mis-kwoh-tey-shuhn] / ˌmɪs kwoʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of misquoting.

2. an instance or occasion of misquoting or of being misquoted.

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Etymology

Origin of misquotation

First recorded in 1765–75; mis- ¹ + quotation

Example Sentences

The fact-check flagged a misquotation that should have been rendered as a paraphrase.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2022

O’Brien’s conversation often turns to literary quotation—and, at times, to lively misquotation.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 7, 2019

In the book, Mr. Sullivan offers 10 common “mechanisms” that he says lead to misquotation and incorrect attribution.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2017

By breaking the rule, Scalia had brought the misquotation on himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2016

Ignorance has too often been replaced by conjecture, and conjecture by misquotation and the false authority of "common knowledge" engendered by the repetition of legendary histories from one generation of textbooks to the next.

From On the Origin of Clockwork, Perpetual Motion Devices, and the Compass by Price, Derek J. de Solla (Derek John de Solla)