Misdirection

B2 16+

Pronunciation: /mɪs.dɪˈrɛk.ʃən/

Definitions of misdirection

noun the act of directing someone away from the correct path or direction

Example Sentences

A1 The magician used misdirection to make the audience focus on his left hand while he performed the trick with his right hand.

A2 The detective realized that the suspect's alibi was a misdirection to throw off the investigation.

B1 The politician's speech was full of misdirection, trying to distract the public from the real issues at hand.

B2 The con artist's elaborate misdirection scheme fooled even the most skeptical of investors.

C1 The director's use of misdirection in the film kept the audience guessing until the very end.

C2 The spy's ability to create misdirection in the enemy camp was crucial to the success of the mission.

Examples of misdirection in a Sentence

formal The magician used misdirection to deceive the audience.

informal She tried to use misdirection to avoid answering the question.

slang The con artist pulled off the scam with some clever misdirection.

figurative His misdirection of blame onto others only caused more problems.

Grammatical Forms of misdirection

past tense

misdirected

plural

misdirections

comparative

more misdirected

superlative

most misdirected

present tense

misdirects

future tense

will misdirect

perfect tense

has misdirected

continuous tense

is misdirecting

singular

misdirection

positive degree

misdirection

infinitive

to misdirect

gerund

misdirecting

participle

misdirected

Origin and Evolution of misdirection

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The word 'misdirection' originated from the combination of the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' or 'badly' and the word 'direction' meaning 'guidance or instruction'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in the context of stage magic to describe the act of diverting the audience's attention to achieve a desired effect, 'misdirection' has evolved to also refer to the act of misleading or confusing someone in various contexts.