misprision: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 (Very Low Frequency)Formal, Legal, Archaic/Literary
Quick answer
What does “misprision” mean?
The deliberate concealment of one's knowledge of a treason or felony.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The deliberate concealment of one's knowledge of a treason or felony; a wrongful act or omission, especially by a public official.
Contempt, scorn, or misunderstanding; an error due to misapprehension. In law, it specifically denotes the failure to perform a public duty or the concealment of a serious crime by someone not directly involved.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. The term is equally rare and specialized in both varieties, found almost exclusively in legal or highly formal literary contexts.
Connotations
In both varieties, it connotes formality, antiquity, and specialist knowledge. It may sound archaic or deliberately erudite.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both. Slightly more likely to be encountered in British legal texts due to the historical Common Law context, but this is a marginal difference.
Grammar
How to Use “misprision” in a Sentence
[subject] committed misprision of [crime][subject] was guilty of misprisionan act of misprisionVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “misprision” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The statute made it a crime to misprise the sovereign's authority. (archaic, rare)
American English
- (No contemporary standard usage as a verb.)
adverb
British English
- (No standard adverbial form.)
American English
- (No standard adverbial form.)
adjective
British English
- (No standard adjectival form.)
American English
- (No standard adjectival form.)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, found in historical or legal studies discussing medieval/early modern English law or in literary criticism analyzing archaic texts.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Used as a precise term in legal contexts, particularly in historical or comparative law discussions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “misprision”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “misprision”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “misprision”
- Confusing it with 'misprision' as a form of 'misprise' (to despise).
- Using it in everyday contexts where 'neglect', 'oversight', or 'concealment' would be appropriate.
- Misspelling as 'misprison'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an extremely rare, formal word. You will almost never encounter it outside of specific legal, historical, or literary contexts.
Misprision involves concealing knowledge of a crime without actively assisting in its commission. Complicity involves actively participating or assisting in the crime itself.
Yes, but this is an archaic, literary usage. In contemporary English, this sense is obsolete. Modern words like 'error', 'misunderstanding', or 'misapprehension' are used instead.
It is pronounced /mɪˈsprɪʒən/, with the stress on the second syllable ('mis-PRIZH-un'). The 's' is soft, like the 's' in 'vision'.
Misprision is usually formal, legal, archaic/literary in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None in common usage.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'Mis-Prison'. If you knowingly put knowledge of a serious crime in a mental 'prison' (conceal it), you commit misprision.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/TRUTH IS A BURDEN (to bear or conceal); NEGLECT IS A HOLE (a failure, an omission).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'misprision' MOST likely to be used correctly today?