misconceive

verb

mis·con·ceive ˌmis-kən-ˈsēv

misconceived; misconceiving

transitive : to form a wrong idea of (something) : misunderstand

To think about poverty as mainly an underclass or minority issue is not only to misconceive it, but also to wall it off and make it alien.—

Mark Jonathan Harris

… I thought I had misconceived their true characters …—

Herman Melville

intransitive dated : to hold a wrong idea or conception

misconceiver noun

plural misconceivers

misconceived the scope of the nation's financial crisis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of misconceive was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Style

“Misconceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconceive. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Copy Citation

misconceive

verb

mis·con·ceive

ˌmis-kən-ˈsēv

: to form a wrong or mistaken idea of

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