The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day is construe. Read on for what it means, how it’s used, and more.

What It Means

Construe means “to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in a sentence” or “to understand or explain the sense or intention of something in a particular way.”

// The teacher asked the students to construe the Greek philosopher’s statement.

// The website provides medical information but that information should not be construed as a diagnosis.

CONSTRUE in Context

“So NFTs … feel strange and novel because normal people don’t usually construe monetary value in mere references to everyday things, like a cash-register receipt, or computer data.” — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2022

Did You Know?

Construe comes from the Latin verb construere, meaning “to construct.” There is also misconstrue, meaning “to put a wrong construction (that is, a wrong interpretation) on” or “to misinterpret.”