1. assigns or ascribes something to the wrong source, cause, or person
Usage: third person singular present tense of ‘misattribute’

Examples

• The student misattributes the quote to Shakespeare when it was actually written by Marlowe.
• She often misattributes her success to luck rather than hard work.
• The historian misattributes the painting to the wrong artist in his book.
• He misattributes his bad mood to the weather instead of his lack of sleep.
• The researcher misattributes the decline in sales to market conditions.
• The critic misattributes the film’s failure to poor acting rather than weak writing.