What's another word for "disingenuous interpretation" that also insinuates a malicious interpretation (not merely inaccurate)?
Edit: There used to be a quote Winston Churchill here that I attempted to use to provide an example of multiple interpretations. This lead to more confusion so I chose to remove it. It still exists in the edits if you're curious, but the example below is a better example of what I'm trying to ask.
What is another word/phrase for the phrase disingenuous interpretation that also insinuates an unnecessarily malicious interpretation of an event, quote, or situation?
I'll explain the context using Alice and Bob:
- An event occurred involving Alice
- The event is interpreted by Bob to have occurred due to Alice's malice
- Alice is confronting Bob about the unnecessarily negative interpretation of the event
If in the example above, Alice confronts Bob and says "That was a maliciously disingenuous interpretation", it could communicate that that Bob was being malicious with their inaccurate interpretation. What I'm hoping for is a word/phrase that communicates The interpretation of the event was (unnecessarily) malicious.
Asked another way...
- A genuine interpretation is an accurate interpretation of the events
- A disingenuous is an inaccurate interpretation
- A generous interpretation assumes good faith
- A ________ interpretation assumes bad faith
Solution 1:
Uncharitable is another word which might be used to describe someone interpreting something in the worst possible way.
: lacking in charity : severe in judging : HARSH
See for instance this example collected from M-W:
An uncharitable read would be to suggest that riding with Rigsby is like hitting the gym with a sentient BuzzFeed quiz.
Solution 2:
"Disingenuous" already implies maliciousness (deceit, underhandedness, etc): https://www.google.com/search?q=disingenuous That is, it is already inaccurate with intent.
You need a better phrase for what you have (erroneously) posited as "disingenuous". I suggest starting with what you have:
- inaccurate interpretation
Any good thesaurus will help you here as "inaccurate" is a single, common word and not the obscure phrase usual to this wiki.
And to be clear, what you have listed as a disingenuous/inaccurate interpretation of Churchill's statement is actually a fairly faithful understanding, barring possibly how quantifiably heroic said action may be implied to be.
Hope this helps. English is a beast.
EDIT:
I think there is some confusion due to the apparent root of the word. "Genuous" (not a word) sounds like "genuine". The word "ingenuous" derives its meaning from that, but does not mean "genuine" -- it means sincere or candid with a connotation of naïvety -- a complete lack of guile or ill will.
Something that is dis-ingenuous implies a lack of authenticity BOTH in content (it is a dissimulation if not a straight-up lie) AND in intent (the purpose of the preverification is not altruistic).
The weirdness of these words (ingenuous, disingenuous) and the tendency people have to mix it up with ingenious) are IMHO the main reasons they appear so rarely, and often only in the context of someone insulting or calling-out another for their misrepresentations by using big vocabulary from an "I'm smarter/better educated than you" position (whether unassumingly factual or boastful).
If your goal is to be clear and avoid confusing people, don't use these words.
Solution 3:
Mean-spirited
Having or characterized by a malicious or petty spirit.
A mean-spirited interpretation assumes the worst of someone, especially in a petty way. To me, it means someone is looking for the most negative way to spin something.
I agree with Dúthomhas that ‘disingenuous’ captures the intentionally dishonest aspect you’re looking for, but I think ‘mean-spirited’ emphasizes the maliciousness a bit more and has different tone.
Solution 4:
cynical
A cynical interpretation assumes bad faith.
From Merriam-Webster:
contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives
… those cynical men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
From Collins:
cynical implies a contemptuous disbelief in human goodness and sincerity
distrustful or contemptuous of virtue, esp selflessness in others; believing the worst of others, esp that all acts are selfish
Example of usage (the least controversial that I could find; Journal Star):
According to the National Day Calendar, National Cotton Candy Day was the result of collaboration between confectioner John C. Wharton and dentist William Morrison.
A cynical interpretation of the creation of National Cotton Candy Day in 1897 would be that Morrison was looking to pad his bank account…