Misinformation
Misinformation is false or misleading information. Some frameworks use the term broadly, while others reserve it for inaccuracies shared without an intention to deceive. A mistaken caption can be misinformation regardless of how the image was produced. Evaluating the claim's accuracy and establishing the speaker's intent are separate tasks that require evidence.
Term statusEstablished Concept
A concept used in academic or professional literature. This label does not mean every claim about it is settled. About these labels.
Evidence for the claims on this page: Published definitional framework
The cited framework separates falsity and intent. Terminology differs across fields; this is a definition, not a causal finding.
How to read this assessmentWhat it is
Misinformation refers to inaccurate or misleading information. Usage varies: some researchers use it broadly, while others reserve it for information shared without harmful or deceptive intent and distinguish it from disinformation. (Wardle and Derakhshan, 2017)
In everyday language
A claim can be wrong even when the person sharing it believes it. Checking what a message says is a different task from judging why someone shared it.
What it isn't
An unpopular opinion is not automatically misinformation. Neither is clearly identified fiction. A disputed factual claim needs evidence, and inaccurate content alone does not establish a speaker's intent.
An example
Hypothetical example: a reader shares an AI-generated summary that gives the wrong date for a public event, believing the summary is accurate.
Key features
- Concerns the accuracy or context of information
- Can spread through sincere mistakes
- May appear in ordinary or synthetic media
How it relates to synthetic imprinting
This term identifies a problem with the information itself. Synthetic imprinting asks a separate question: whether encountering that information leaves a lasting change.
Research context
Wardle and Derakhshan distinguish inaccurate information shared without harmful intent from deliberate disinformation. Definitions differ across research fields, so studies should state which meaning they use. (Wardle and Derakhshan, 2017)
Related terms
Sources and what they support
- Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making — Claire Wardle, Hossein Derakhshan (2017). Council of Europe.
Research report. Distinguishes misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation by falsity and intent, and examines how information moves through production and distribution.
Cite this definition
SyntheticImprinting.com Editorial Project. (2026-09-27). Misinformation. Version 1.4. SyntheticImprinting.com. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/misinformation/
APA: SyntheticImprinting.com. (2026). Misinformation. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/misinformation/
MLA: “Misinformation.” SyntheticImprinting.com, 2026, https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/misinformation/. Accessed November 12, 2026.
Chicago: SyntheticImprinting.com. “Misinformation.” Last modified 2026-09-27. https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/misinformation/.
Revision history
- Version 1.4 · Current
Added claim-level citations and a separate assessment of evidence support. The opening definition is unchanged.
Read this version’s definition
Misinformation is false or misleading information. Some frameworks use the term broadly, while others reserve it for inaccuracies shared without an intention to deceive. A mistaken caption can be misinformation regardless of how the image was produced. Evaluating the claim's accuracy and establishing the speaker's intent are separate tasks that require evidence.
- Version 1.3
Expanded the opening definition; added explicit boundaries, source context, related-term cards, and linked editorial attribution.
Read the previous definition
Misinformation is false or misleading information. Some frameworks use the term broadly, while others reserve it for inaccuracies shared without an intention to deceive. A mistaken caption can be misinformation regardless of how the image was produced. Evaluating the claim's accuracy and establishing the speaker's intent are separate tasks that require evidence.
- Version 1.0
Definition recorded in the previous release. Earlier edits are not reconstructed here.
Read the previous definition
Misinformation is false or misleading information. The term often describes errors shared without an intention to deceive.
What the status means
Established Concept
A concept used in academic or professional literature. This label does not mean every claim about it is settled.
How evidence labels workHelp improve this entry
Suggest a correction to Misinformation. Your email app opens with the page address and version included. Add the passage, your suggested change, and a source if you have one.