1. assigning or crediting something (such as a work, statement, or quality) to the wrong person or source
Usage: present participle of misattribute; commonly used in academic, journalistic, and literary contexts

Examples

• The article was misattributing the quote to Shakespeare when it actually came from a 19th-century playwright.
• By misattributing the painting to Rembrandt, the museum made a significant error in its catalog.
• She was accused of misattributing her colleague's research findings to herself.
• The historian warned against misattributing ancient texts to authors who could not have written them.
• News outlets were misattributing the viral video to the wrong social media influencer.
• Misattributing success to luck rather than effort can undermine personal growth.
• The biographer risked misattributing motives to historical figures based on incomplete evidence.