misinform

Misinform is a transitive verb meaning to provide someone with false or misleading information. The act can be deliberate or inadvertent and may occur in interpersonal conversation, journalism, politics, or online discourse, where statements may lead others to hold false beliefs.

While misinforming can be intentional, the term is distinct from misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation describes false information itself, regardless of intent, while disinformation refers to false information that is knowingly spread to mislead others. Misinform focuses on the act of delivering incorrect information to a recipient, or on the recipient's resulting belief.

Usage notes: In formal writing, misinform is used to describe specific acts, often with the object someone or the public. It can be useful to clarify intent when the distinction matters; otherwise, misinformation is often used to discuss false claims in general. In practice, it can be difficult to determine intent, so the term may be applied cautiously in reporting and analysis.

See also: misinformation, disinformation.