mischaracterize

American  

[mis-kar-ik-ter-ahyz] / ˌmɪsˈkær ɪk tərˌaɪz /

verb (used with object)

mischaracterized, mischaracterizing

1. to characterize inaccurately or falsely.

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Other Word Forms

• mischaracterization noun

Example Sentences

“The claims set forth in the lawsuit grossly mischaracterize their interactions, which occurred over a decade, and some accusations over 2 decades, ago. All these allegations are contradicted by the real facts.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

Nevertheless, “Devil in Disguise” interrogates the police’s tendency to mischaracterize his victims, fueling the media and the public’s subsequent rush to cast the dead as somehow deserving of their fate.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2025

“People sometimes mischaracterize U.K. security policy as being a poodle of the U.S.,” he said.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024

They also fret that the information released could mischaracterize the overall findings or provide enough clues about identities to damage the reputations of lab associates or co-authors not involved in the misconduct.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 7, 2023

LaSalle thought that was fine—but the Court of Appeals later repudiated the decision, holding that a waiver of appeal can’t mischaracterize what rights are waived.

From Slate • Dec. 22, 2022