˜yÐÄvlog

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disinformation

[ dis-in-fer-mey-shuhn, dis-in- ]

noun

  1. false information, as about a country's military strength or plans, disseminated by a government or intelligence agency in a hostile act of tactical political subversion:

    Soviet disinformation drove a wedge between the United States and its Indonesian allies.

  2. deliberately misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda:

    Special interest groups muddied the waters of the debate, spreading disinformation on social media.



disinformation

/ ËŒ»åɪ²õɪ²Ô´Úəˈ³¾±ðɪʃə²Ô /

noun

  1. false information intended to deceive or mislead
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of disinformation1

First recorded in 1965–70; dis- 1 + information, as translation of Russian »å±ð³ú¾±²Ô´Ú´Ç°ù³¾Ã¡³Ù²õ¾±²â²¹, from French »åé²õ¾±²Ô´Ú´Ç°ù³¾(±ð°ù) “to misinform†+ Russian -atsiya (ultimately from Latin -Äå³Ù¾±Å; -ation )
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There’s no question that vaccine science has become poisoned with disinformation and right-wing ideology.

From

"We are enmeshed in an era of 'fake news' and disinformation, where matters of trust are at the forefront of editors' minds," he tells the BBC.

From

"Rampant misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is also ratcheting up tensions and driving ethnic divisions, and fear," he said.

From

Cult members are under a deluge of conspiracy theories and disinformation, degrading their ability to think rationally and making them more dependent on the cult leadership.

From

In addition to these, Reuters reported that several US national security agencies have stopped work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian cyberattacks and disinformation.

From

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Disinformation Vs. Misinformation

What's the difference between disinformation ²¹²Ô»åÌýmisinformation?

Disinformation refers to false information that’s spread with the specific intent of misleading or deceiving people. Misinformation more generally refers to false information, regardless of whether or not it’s intended to mislead or deceive people.

Due to their similarity, the terms are sometimes used in overlapping ways. All disinformation is misinformation, but not all misinformation is disinformation. Disinformation is the more specific of the two because it always implies that the false information is being provided or spread on purpose.

Disinformation is especially used in the context of large-scale deception, such as a disinformation campaign by a government that targets the population of another country. Misinformation can be spread with the intent to trick people or just because someone incorrectly thinks it’s true.

This distinction can also be seen in the difference between their verb forms, disinform and misinform. Disinform, which is much less commonly used, means to intentionally provide or spread false information. To misinform someone is to provide them with wrong information, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it was intentional.

One way to remember the difference between disinformation and misinformation is to remember that disinformation is not just false but dishonest, while misinformation can be a mistake.

Here’s an example of disinformation and misinformation used correctly in a sentence.

Example: The intelligence report concluded that the rumors spread prior to the election were not simply the result of misinformation but rather of coordinated disinformation by a foreign power.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between disinformation and misinformation.

Quiz yourself on »å¾±²õ¾±²Ô´Ú´Ç°ù³¾²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²ÔÌý±¹²õ.Ìýmisinformation!

Should disinformation or misinformation be used in the following sentence?

The government spread _____ about the location of their army in hopes of tricking the enemy.

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