misattribute
Assign false authorship
To misattribute is to assign something—a quotation, artwork, action, or quality—to the wrong source.
Famous sayings are frequently misattributed: That quote is misattributed to Einstein; he never said it.
The noun is misattribution.
Inaccurate citation
- miscreditWrongly assign attribution
- plagiarizePresent others' work as yours
- uncreditedNot formally recognized
- authorshipOrigin of written work
provenance · misassign · ghostwriting · apocryphal · spurious · anonymous · pseudonymous · misidentify
Understand incorrectly
- misinterpretUnderstand something incorrectly
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- scapegoatUnfairly blamed person
- false causeIncorrectly identified reason
correlation · coincidence · confound · conflate · fallacy · assumption · bias · prejudice
Invented memories believed true
- source confusionMistaking where memory came from
- false memoryBelieved but fictional recall
- misrememberRecall something inaccurately
- conflateMerge distinct elements
déjà vu · suggestion · distortion · reconstruct · confuse · blend · misidentify
Fraudulent imitation
- fakeNot the real thing
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- falsifyDistort the truth
- fabricateInvent or manufacture
forge · hoax · misrepresent · deception · authenticity · provenance · art fraud · antiquities
misquote
Inaccurate citation
- miscreditWrongly assign attribution
- plagiarizePresent others' work as yours
- uncreditedNot formally recognized
authorship · provenance · misassign · ghostwriting · apocryphal · spurious · anonymous · pseudonymous · misidentify
misconstrue
Understand incorrectly
- misinterpretUnderstand something incorrectly
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- scapegoatUnfairly blamed person
false cause · correlation · coincidence · confound · conflate · fallacy · assumption · bias · prejudice · stereotype
confabulation
Invented memories believed true
- source confusionMistaking where memory came from
- false memoryBelieved but fictional recall
- misrememberRecall something inaccurately
conflate · déjà vu · suggestion · distortion · reconstruct · confuse · blend · misidentify
counterfeit
Fraudulent imitation
fabricate · forge · hoax · misrepresent · deception · authenticity · provenance · art fraud · antiquities · pseudepigrapha