Disinformation

noun (uncountable)

/dɪsˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/

False or misleading information that is deliberately created and disseminated with the intent to deceive, manipulate public opinion, or cause harm — distinct from misinformation, which is spread without deliberate intent.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

In an era of viral half-truths, the State's failure to build robust fact-checking institutions allows organised disinformation to corrode electoral integrity and inflame communal tensions faster than the truth can travel.

Synonyms

propagandafabricationfalsehooddeceptionmisinformationblack propaganda

Antonyms

truthfactaccurate informationcandour

🌱 Word Family

disinform (v), disinformed (adj), misinformation (n), information (n), inform (v)

🔡 Root

Latin dis- = negation, reversal + informātiō = instruction; modelled on Russian dezinformatsiya

📜 Etymology

From dis- ("negation, reversal") + information; attested in English from 1939, modelled on Russian dezinformatsiya, a term used by Soviet intelligence for coordinated propaganda campaigns.

🧠 Memory Hook

DIS- (against) + INFORMATION — information weaponised AGAINST you; the "dis" deliberately dis-orients the public, unlike innocent mis-information.

🛡️ Internal Security 📖 Seen in: Role of Media & Social Networking in I...

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