ABSTRACT
Disinformation has become a household concept for journalists, politicians, and military analysts, yet its definition remains elusive. As the term circulates in academic fields and popular culture, the concept of disinformation gets loaded with multiple meanings and interpretations, which means that disinformation is polysemic. This chapter disambiguates it by drawing from its origins in military intelligence and foreign policy and contextualizing its current use for social media manipulation and corporate spin. It explores the most common understandings of disinformation, including the circulation of false or misleading information with malignant intent. Following a conceptual analysis, a definition is offered. Disinformation is an orchestrated adversarial campaign that weaponizes misleading information—including falsehoods, truths, half-truths, and value-laden judgments—to exploit and amplify identity-driven controversies for political, military, or commercial gain.
