noun
disinformation
dih-sihn-fuh-MAYSHN
noun
1
False information spread on purpose to mislead people.
"The government accused the website of spreading disinformation about the election."
"Fact-checkers work around the clock to counter online disinformation."
How to Use Disinformation
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLies or false claims spread deliberately, as opposed to honest mistakes.
Common mistake
Misinformation is simply wrong information, regardless of intent; disinformation specifically implies it was created or spread to deceive on purpose.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
spread disinformation
disinformation campaign
combat disinformation
Word Forms
disinformationed past tense, disinformations singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “disinformation”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The government accused the website of spreading _____ about the election.
Etymology
From dis- + information. The word took on its modern sense of deliberately planted false information in English around 1939, borrowed from the Russian dezinformatsiya used by Soviet intelligence.