Mispresent

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To give false or inaccurate information about; to deliberately convey a misleading impression; to appear or behave in a deceptive manner
2. To provide erroneous or incorrect details regarding something; to falsely represent or mischaracterize; to present oneself or facts in a misleading way
3. To state something incorrectly or deceptively; to create a wrong or misleading impression by reporting inaccurately; to represent or portray in a manner that distorts the truth

Etymology: "Mispresent" is a plain compound: the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "present" in its older sense of setting something forth or representing it. To present something is to put it before someone, so to mispresent it is to put it before them wrongly, offering a picture that does not match the facts. The verb's meaning has drifted over time. Its core sense is to describe or represent something inaccurately, often by accident, but the modern usage also covers deliberate deception, such as a seller who misrepresents a car's condition or a witness who misstates a timeline. The sense of appearing or behaving deceptively grows naturally from that same idea of putting forward a false front.

Synonyms: misrepresent, falsify, distort, misstate, misreport

Antonyms: represent, accurately present, truthfully report