misremember
Get it wrong
To misremember is to remember incorrectly—not forgetting entirely, but recalling details wrong: I misremembered the meeting time as three instead of two.
The word suggests the memory feels real to the person, even though it's inaccurate.
It's sometimes used euphemistically for lying: The witness didn't lie—he simply misremembered.
Remember incorrectly
- confabulationInvented memories believed true
- misquoteInaccurate citation
- misconstrueUnderstand incorrectly
- misinterpretUnderstand something incorrectly
embellishment · exaggeration · conflation · anachronism · fabrication · skew · twist · warp
Lack of precision
- mistakeWrong action or decision
- slipMinor error or misstep
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- gaffeClumsy social error
misstatement · misreport · misattribution · misjudgment · fallacy · misconception · oversight · lapse
Pathological loss of recall
- oblivionComplete erasure from memory
- forgettingFailing to retain memories
- lapseBrief failure or expiration
- blankWithout marks or content
Portray as more appealing
- idealizeRegard as flawless
- golden agePeriod of peak prosperity
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
reminiscence · longing · glorify · yearn · bittersweet · sepia-toned · halcyon · revisionism
misrecall
Remember incorrectly
- confabulationInvented memories believed true
- misquoteInaccurate citation
- misconstrueUnderstand incorrectly
misinterpret · embellishment · exaggeration · conflation · anachronism · fabrication · skew · twist · warp · slant
inaccuracy
Lack of precision
gaffe · misstatement · misreport · misattribution · misjudgment · fallacy · misconception · oversight · lapse · mix-up
amnesia
Pathological loss of recall
- oblivionComplete erasure from memory
- forgettingFailing to retain memories
- lapseBrief failure or expiration
blank · fugue · haze · fog · vagueness · fading · loss · gap · hole · incompleteness
romanticize
Portray as more appealing
- idealizeRegard as flawless
- golden agePeriod of peak prosperity
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
wistfulness · reminiscence · longing · glorify · yearn · bittersweet · sepia-toned · halcyon · revisionism