disinformation

noun

dis·in·for·ma·tion | \ (ˌ)dis-ˌin-fər-ˈmā-shən

Definition of disinformation

: false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about disinformation

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

In 1939, a writer describing Nazi intelligence activities noted, "The mood of national suspicion prevalent during the last decade ... is well illustrated by General Krivitsky's account of the German 'Disinformation Service,' engaged in manufacturing fake military plans for the express purpose of having them stolen by foreign governments." Although the Nazis were accused of using disinformation back in the 1930s, the noun and the practice are most often associated with the Soviet KGB. Many people think "disinformation" is a literal translation of the Russian "dezinformatsiya," which means "misinformation," a term the KGB allegedly used in the 1950s to name a department created to dispense propaganda.

Examples of disinformation in a Sentence

The government used disinformation to gain support for the policy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the past few years, Facebook has struggled with questions about election interference and disinformation on its platform. — Davey Alba, BostonGlobe.com, "Facebook Tightens Rules on Verifying Political Advertisers," 28 Aug. 2019 The pace of research must try to catch up with the rapidly growing sophistication of disinformation strategies. — The Editors, Scientific American, "Everyone Is an Agent in the New Information Warfare," 26 Aug. 2019 China used fake accounts and state media to spread disinformation and denigrating comments about Hong Kong protestors across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "Security News This Week: Cryptocurrency Miners Expose Nuclear Plant to Internet," 24 Aug. 2019 Researchers worry that a new feature giving Instagram users the power to flag false news on the platform won’t do much to head off efforts to use disinformation to sow political discord in 2020. — Tonya Riley, Washington Post, "The Technology 202: Instagram's new fact-checking tool may have limited impact on disinformation," 22 Aug. 2019 And that disinformation has also made its way to Twitter and Facebook. — Tripti Lahiri, Quartz, "China’s disinformation on Hong Kong protests is on Twitter and Facebook," 20 Aug. 2019 China appears willing to finally start to flex its muscles on disinformation. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "How China used Facebook and Twitter to spread disinformation about the Hong Kong protests," 20 Aug. 2019 The removal of accounts associated with the Chinese government is a significant move but not without precedent, researchers said, given the criticism social media platforms fielded for not adequately cracking down on disinformation in the past. — Suhauna Hussainstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Facebook, Twitter accuse China of spreading Hong Kong disinformation," 19 Aug. 2019 Allstate has since broken ties with several sites classified as disinformation by the Global Disinformation Index. — Clare Duffy, CNN, "Websites that peddle disinformation make millions of dollars in ads, new study finds," 18 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disinformation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for disinformation

disinformation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of disinformation

: false information that is given to people in order to make them believe something or to hide the truth

See the full definition for disinformation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

disinformation

Definition of disinformation

Did You Know?

Examples of disinformation in a Sentence

First Known Use of disinformation

English Language Learners Definition of disinformation

WORD OF THE DAY

emancipation