misapply

[ mis-uh-plahy ]

/ ˌmɪs əˈplaɪ /

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See synonyms for: misapply / misapplied on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), mis·ap·plied, mis·ap·ply·ing.

to make a wrong application or use of.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of misapply

First recorded in 1565–75; mis-¹ + apply

OTHER WORDS FROM misapply

mis·ap·pli·ca·tion

[mis-ap-li-key-shuhn], /ˌmɪs æp lɪˈkeɪ ʃən/, nounmis·ap·pli·er, noun

Words nearby misapply

misandry, misanthrope, misanthropic, misanthropy, misapplied, misapply, misapprehend, misapprehension, misappropriate, misappropriation, misarrange

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use misapply in a sentence

We have also explained where science has been manipulated or misapplied in the service of political agendas.
We won’t shy away from covering politicized science|Nancy Shute|July 10, 2022|Science News
A common concern in these situations is that family courts will favor shared custody even if one parent says the other is abusive, sometimes misapplying the law and forcing long, expensive legal battles.
She Said Her Husband Was Abusive. A Judge Took Away Her Kids and Ordered Her Arrest.|by Megan O’Matz|February 22, 2022|ProPublica
The recent backlash over a new book on the history of The Alamo is not about partisanship nor misapplied critical race theory.
Every American needs to take a history of Mexico class|Gabriela Laveaga|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
There’s no serious argument Hunter did not break the law or that it was misapplied.
Politics Report: Shirley Weber’s Shoes to Fill|Scott Lewis|December 26, 2020|Voice of San Diego

There is now little question that Chauvin fatally misapplied the neck-restraint.
Why some senior officers are making it harder for police departments to fight racism|matthewheimer|August 26, 2020|Fortune
They use words from the Soviet past and misapply them to the current situation.
Inside ‘Maidan’: Sergei Loznitsa on His Ukrainian Uprising Doc and Putin’s ‘Fascist’ Regime|Richard Porton|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He may mutilate or misapply the component parts of his design, but he cannot originate a whole new architectural alphabet.
The Decoration of Houses|Edith Wharton
Does he lose his share, by continuing to misapply the lever-power provided for him by Nature?
A Practical Enquiry into the Philosophy of Education|James Gall
That which would be true in relation to one predicament, they misapply to another, to which it has no application at all.
Cotton is King and The Pro-Slavery Arguments|Various
He coupled the gift with a solemn curse and anathema upon all who should ever disturb or misapply the donation.
France and the Republic|William Henry Hurlbert
More frequently a later author will misapply the specific name of an older one.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume I (of II)|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for misapply

misapply

/ (ˌmɪsəˈplaɪ) /

verb -plies, -plying or -plied (tr)

to apply wrongly or badly

another word for misappropriate

Derived forms of misapply

misapplication (ˌmɪsæplɪˈkeɪʃən), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

misapply

Origin of misapply

OTHER WORDS FROM misapply

Words nearby misapply

Words related to misapply

How to use misapply in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for misapply

Derived forms of misapply