misquoted
/mɪsˈkwəʊtɪd/
CommonWhen someone's words are reported inaccurately, either changed, paraphrased, or invented.
Different from out of context, where the words are real. With misquoted, the words themselves changed.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | He literally never said that. Completely misquoted and everyone just ran with it. | A false version of a quote spread widely before anyone verified it. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | She said she was tired of the job, not tired of the fans. Misquoted headline. | A subtle but important word change made the quote mean something different. | |
| 03 | Half the famous quotes you see on Instagram are misquoted or made up. | Inspirational quotes attributed to famous people are often inaccurate. | instagram, 2023 |
| 04 | Go read the actual transcript. You will see how badly he was misquoted. | The original source would show the quote was changed. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone's words were changed in how they were reported or shared.
- A screenshot or headline attributes a statement to someone who did not say it exactly that way.
- Correcting the record after a distorted quote spread.
Do not use it when
- The words were accurate but the context was removed.Use “out-of-context” instead.
- You just disagree with the interpretation of what was said.
Variations and related forms
Misquoted vs out of context
misquoted
Misquoted means the actual words were changed or invented.
VS
out-of-context
Out of context means the words were real but shared without surrounding information.
Origin and context
Standard English term that predates the internet. Became far more common in online discourse as screenshots and partial clips made quote distortion easier to do and harder to catch.
- First seen
- pre-internet
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/misquotedUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0