noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Communication that isn't well-intended, or doesn't happen as intended; miscommunication. countable, uncountable

Etymology

From mal- + communication.

Related phrases

well intended

Editorial Guides For "malcommunication"

De-escalation Language for Difficult Conversations

Use wording that lowers tension while preserving boundaries and forward progress.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.