mistakenly
Americanadverb
-
unintentionally or inadvertently; by mistake.
I may have mistakenly interchanged them without realizing it.
-
in a way that is wrongly conceived, held, or done; incorrectly.
Many people mistakenly believe their PhD will help them land a stable, middle-class job even if they can't get an academic job.
Etymology
Origin of mistakenly
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.
He acknowledged that Kaur was unlikely to reoffend and said her motive was "mistakenly, to protect your son rather than for any personal gain".
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
I mistakenly repeated a common myth as fact—that’s on me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
South Wales Police said it did not attend the scene, while a local councillor believes the driver mistakenly drove down a walking path believing to be a road before getting stuck.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
They can cause graft-versus-host disease, a potentially serious condition in which the transplanted immune cells mistakenly attack the patient's healthy tissue.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Apparently, an officer on U-and-Z had mistakenly unlocked a keeplock’s cell.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
