Spanish word

malinterpretar

Pronunciation

IPA/malinteɾpɾeˈtaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbmisinterpret

Example

No quiero que malinterpretes mi intención.

I don't want you to misinterpret my intention.

Illustration for malinterpretar (misinterpret)

More examples

No debemos malinterpretar sus palabras por falta de contexto.

We must not misinterpret his words for lack of context.

Core concept

Seeing someone's remark as intentionally hostile.

Common phrases

  • malinterpretar a alguien

    misinterpret someone

  • malinterpretar una intención

    misinterpret an intention

  • malinterpretar una frase

    misinterpret a phrase

Similar words

entender: Grasp the meaning of words or explanations.
malentender: Take words or a remark in the wrong way.
interpretar: Explain what an action or remark means.
confundir: Mix up different pieces of information or ideas.

Definition in Spanish

Entender incorrectamente lo que alguien quiere decir, especialmente atribuyendo una intención distinta o negativa al mensaje.

Word origin

The prefix mal- attaches to interpretar, so the compound literally means 'interpret badly'.

Usage tips

  • The verb often sounds accusatory and stronger than English 'misunderstand', so it usually labels claims about intent rather than mere confusion.

Other meanings

  • misconstrueverb
  • get the wrong ideaverb

Opposites

Related words

  • malinterpretaciónmisinterpretationnoun
  • malinterpretadomisinterpretedadjective

Word lists with this word