Miscommunicate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To fail to share or receive information clearly, causing misunderstanding between parties
2. When information is not expressed or received accurately, resulting in confusion or error
3. The act of transmitting or interpreting a message improperly, leading to false impressions or unclear communication

Etymology: The verb "miscommunicate" is simply "communicate" with the prefix "mis-" attached, meaning "wrongly" or "badly." Both parts carry their meanings in a straightforward way: "mis-" comes from Old English and Old French and has long been used to add the sense of error or failure to a verb, as in "misjudge" or "misspell." "Communicate" itself comes from the Latin "communicare," meaning "to share" or "to make common," built from "communis," or "common." The core idea is that communicating means making something shared between people. When "mis-" is added, the result describes sharing something incorrectly, so that the listener receives a meaning other than the one intended. Because the prefix can be attached to almost any verb, "miscommunicate" is a relatively modern-feeling formation, but it follows the same pattern as older words built this way.

Synonyms: misunderstand, misinterpret

Antonyms: communicate, clarify