Misrepresented

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Described or presented in a way that does not accurately reflect the true facts or reality
2. Shown or explained incorrectly so that the true meaning or intention is distorted
3. Represented with inaccuracies that lead to a misleading or false impression

Etymology: "Misrepresented" is the past tense of "misrepresent," and the verb is simply a compound: the prefix "mis-," meaning wrongly or badly, attached to "represent." The prefix comes from Old English, where "mis-" carried the same sense of error or faultiness, and it has been used in English ever since to form verbs like "misjudge" and "mislead." The heart of the story is "represent," which entered English from Old French "presenter," itself from Latin "praesentare," meaning to place before someone or to present in person. The Latin verb is built from "prae," "before," and a form tied to "esse," to be. Over time "represent" came to mean to stand in for something or to portray it, so an account that gives a picture of events is a kind of representation. Put the two together and "misrepresent" describes an account that portrays something wrongly. The verb came into English as a straightforward combination of these parts, so its meaning follows directly from them: to present a thing inaccurately.

Synonyms: distorted, falsified, misstated, misquoted, misconstrued

Antonyms: represented, portrayed, depicted, reflected, communicated