disinformation
dis-in-fer-MAY-shun
/ˌdɪs.ɪn.fəˈmeɪ.ʃən/
False information deliberately created and spread to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.
Requires intent, malice, and strategy. Disinformation is weaponized deception engineered by state actors, political groups, or scammers.
The story behind the word. The word is a direct loan translation from the Russian 'dezinformatsiya', coined in the 1920s to describe the title of a secret black-operations tactical unit in Soviet intelligence. It officially entered English diplomatic dictionaries during the Cold War in the 1950s.
Word relationships
- deception: General act of misleading someone; disinformation is structured, mass-market false content.
- psyops: Military term for psychological operations aimed at confusing enemies.
- veracity: Conformity to truth and factual accuracy.
- truth: That which is consistent with fact or reality.
Commonly confused with
- misinformation: Disinformation is engineered with intent to mislead; misinformation is spread accidentally.
Word family
- disinform (verb): To deliberately give false information.
Collocations
- state-sponsored disinformation
- disinformation campaign
- weaponized disinformation
- disinformation tactics
Idioms & expressions
- black propaganda
- smear campaign
Example sentences
- "Intelligence agencies warned that foreign governments were deploying foreign disinformation campaigns to interfere with local elections." International Security
- "The firm was accused of distributing deliberate disinformation regarding their rival's financial stability." Corporate Strategy
Memory hook
DIS-information is intended to DIS-rupt and DIS-honestly trick you. Deliberate lies meant to deceive.
When not to use
Do not use for an honest error made by a writer who genuinely believed what they wrote.
Fun facts
- The KGB had a dedicated 'Special Disinformation Office' tasked with creating elaborate global forged documents during the 1960s.
Related words
Explore more words
Also appears in
- Media, Journalism & Publishing → News Reporting & Investigative Journalism
- Media, Journalism & Publishing → Censorship & Freedom of Speech
- Media, Journalism & Publishing → Media Bias & Objective Reporting
- Media, Journalism & Publishing → Public Relations & Spin
- Media, Journalism & Publishing → Algorithms & Echo Chambers
- Military Science & Warfare → Cyber Warfare & Sabotage
- Military Science & Warfare → Intelligence & Espionage
- Military Science & Warfare → Propaganda & Psychological Ops
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