disinformation

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العربية الفصحى
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हिन्दी
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/ˌdɪsˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃən/
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False material deliberately spread to deceive people or shape what they believe.
Practice using disinformation in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The fake accounts spread disinformation before the election.
  • Officials released accurate records to counter the disinformation.
  • The video used real footage but added captions that turned it into disinformation.
  • Researchers traced the health disinformation to a coordinated campaign.
  • How can platforms slow the spread of disinformation without blocking legitimate debate?

Similar words

falsehood
deception
propaganda
fake news
misinformation
fabrication

Meanings

Deliberately deceptive information

noun
media
neutral
False or manipulated information knowingly spread to mislead people, influence opinion, or hide the truth.

Examples

  • The fake accounts spread disinformation before the election.
  • Researchers traced the health disinformation to a coordinated campaign.
  • Do not mistake an honest error for disinformation.
  • The video used real footage but added captions that turned it into disinformation.
  • How can platforms slow the spread of disinformation without blocking legitimate debate?
  • Officials released accurate records to counter the disinformation.

Similar words

propaganda
misinformation
falsehood
fabrication
fake news
deception

Etymology

Formed from dis- and information, after Russian dezinformatsiya. The English word is recorded from 1939 in writing about military intelligence, where it described false material designed for wide circulation.

FAQ

What does disinformation mean?

Disinformation is false or manipulated information spread knowingly to deceive people or shape their beliefs.

What is the difference between disinformation and misinformation?

Disinformation is deliberately deceptive. Misinformation can be false or misleading even when the person sharing it believes it is true.

Is disinformation the same as propaganda?

Not exactly. Propaganda is material designed to influence opinion and may use true, selective, or false claims. Disinformation must involve intentional deception.

Is disinformation countable?

It is normally an uncountable noun, so English usually says some disinformation or a piece of disinformation, not a disinformation.

Where does disinformation come from?

The English word follows Russian dezinformatsiya and is recorded from 1939 in writing about military intelligence.

Comments & contributions

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Nifty Curlew
Aug 19
disinfo sounds so much more terminally online than disinformation lol
1
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Coral Marten
Aug 13
If you read Cold War stuff, active measures is the bigger bucket. Disinformation was one tool in it, along with forgeries, front groups, planted stories, all that spy paperwork mess.
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Frosty Gopher
Aug 13
malinformation belongs near this word too. thats when the facts may be real but they are leaked, cropped, or framed to hurt someone. media literacy classes group misinfo, disinfo and malinfo together a lot now
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Velvet Marten
Aug 12
Fake news feels messier to me. Sometimes it means a made-up article, sometimes it is just a political insult at a newspaper. Disinformation is the cleaner word when you mean a deliberate influence attempt.
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Glad Ferret
Aug 5
Spanish trips people up here because desinformación can mean disinformation, but in normal Spanish it can also just mean lack of information. If you mean accidental bad info, información errónea is often cleaner.
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Eager Moth
Aug 10
yep, in a lot of Spanish news it still gets used as the umbrella word, not the neat English split
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Lunar Penguin
Aug 4
People in cyber/security sometimes use it a bit narrower, like decoy info aimed at an adversary. NIST's glossary has that sense for hiding your real security posture, so its not only elections and social media.
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Cloudy Pelican
Jul 20
Copy desk arguments taught me this one, dont write disinformation for one confused facebook share unless you can show intent. Editors usually go with misinformation until there is evidence of a campaign or someone knowingly pushing the claim. Calling it disinfo is basically accusing them of lying.
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Windy Camel
Aug 2
yeah, this is why fact checkers are careful with the word. intent is hard to prove
2
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