disinformation

Definition

False information intentionally disseminated to deliberately confuse or mislead; intentional misinformation.

Etymology

Composed of dis- + information. Attested in the sense “intentional misinformation” in English from 1939. A different usage of disinformation occurred earlier, as early as 1887, as a simple synonym of misinformation.

Example Sentences

• "Moreover, Trump’s use of obvious disinformation — the amateurish video he showed Ramaphosa, and his accompanying statements about the “over a thousand” killings of white farmers — to try and make his case has uprooted whatever U.S. credibility had survived over the last several months."