miscommunicate: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral to formal; common in professional and academic contexts.
Quick answer
What does “miscommunicate” mean?
To fail to convey or understand information, intentions, or feelings correctly.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To fail to convey or understand information, intentions, or feelings correctly.
To cause confusion or misunderstanding through unclear, insufficient, or inaccurate exchange of information between parties.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or grammatical differences. Slight preference in US business/management jargon.
Connotations
Neutral; denotes a professional or relational breakdown.
Frequency
Moderately low in both; slightly more frequent in American corporate/HR contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “miscommunicate” in a Sentence
[subject] miscommunicate with [object][subject] miscommunicate [message/idea/intent][subject] miscommunicate about [topic]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “miscommunicate” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- They often miscommunicate about the meeting times.
- The manager miscommunicated the budget figures to the team.
American English
- We miscommunicated about who was bringing the supplies.
- The instructions were miscommunicated, causing the delay.
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverb form]
- [N/A]
American English
- [No standard adverb form]
- [N/A]
adjective
British English
- [No common adjective form. Use 'miscommunicated' as past participle adjective: 'a miscommunicated message'].
- The miscommunicated plan led to chaos.
American English
- [No common adjective form. Use 'miscommunicated'].
- Their miscommunicated expectations caused the conflict.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to analyse project failures, team conflicts, or client dissatisfaction due to unclear instructions or expectations.
Academic
Found in communication studies, linguistics, and sociology papers discussing interactional breakdowns.
Everyday
Used to describe personal misunderstandings, e.g., in relationships or social plans.
Technical
Less common; can appear in system design describing protocol or interface failures.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “miscommunicate”
- Using 'miscommunicate' as a noun (e.g., 'There was a miscommunicate'). Correct noun: 'miscommunication'.
- Overusing in place of simpler 'didn't understand' or 'confused'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. 'Misunderstand' focuses on the receiver's failure to interpret correctly. 'Miscommunicate' focuses on the failure in the *process* of conveying information, which can involve the sender, the receiver, or both.
The noun form is 'miscommunication'. Using 'miscommunicate' as a noun is incorrect.
It is neutral but more common in formal, academic, or professional contexts than in casual chat. In everyday speech, people might say 'we got our wires crossed' instead.
Yes, it can be intransitive (e.g., 'We miscommunicated.') or transitive (e.g., 'He miscommunicated the plan.').
To fail to convey or understand information, intentions, or feelings correctly.
Miscommunicate: in British English it is pronounced /ˌmɪskəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌmɪskəˈmjunɪkeɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Not a strong idiom carrier; see synonyms]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
MIS (wrongly) + COMMUNICATE (share information) = to share information wrongly.
Conceptual Metaphor
COMMUNICATION IS A CONDUIT / PATH: A message fails to travel correctly from sender to receiver.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'miscommunicate' correctly?