misdiagnose
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of misdiagnose
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We have to be careful not to misdiagnose economic weakness,” Macklem said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
There are situations in which doctors can misdiagnose people with TB.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
This difference may help explain why clinicians sometimes misdiagnose women who have bipolar disorder with depression.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
“Even medical professionals don’t always have the best information, and they very often misdiagnose bites,” Dr. Scott said.
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
"This is unhelpful for clinicians, who may misdiagnose someone as having an eating disorder or OCD."
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2017
"I never had a brain tumour. I was misdiagnosed and I've gone through all this treatment for the main part of my adult life, for no reason," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
She said her husband sought treatment at several hospitals and his condition was “repeatedly” misdiagnosed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
She hasn't got a number for how many people she thinks have been misdiagnosed, but believes researchers could figure it out.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some estimates suggest that a significant share of patients remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, often cycling through providers before receiving a clear explanation for their symptoms.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
When he saw the photographs of her biopsy, he immediately realized her tumor had been misdiagnosed.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Williams’ departure came after an ugly dispute with the team’s medical staff and former president Bruce Allen in which he blamed the team for misdiagnosing a cancerous growth on his head.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 1, 2022
This included misdiagnosing a student with a potentially life-threatening case of appendicitis and failing to notice a stress fracture in another student, prolonging the recovery.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2020
Caroline Schnakers was a neuropsychologist in Belgium when studies began appearing that showed doctors were misdiagnosing consciousness: People who were conscious were being diagnosed as being in a vegetative state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2019
In his 2015 autobiography Purple Revolution, he laid bare both his anger with the NHS for initially misdiagnosing his condition but also his gratitude for the ultimately successful treatment, which he says saved his life.
From BBC ● May 27, 2019
Edmunds relies on his athleticism and speed to make up for potentially misdiagnosing a play’s design but Smith combines 4.52 speed with that high football IQ to tackle anything that moves anywhere on the field.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
