misaligned
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does misaligned mean? Misaligned describes someone or something that is improperly adjusted or out of its proper form or position. Misaligned is frequently used in a figurative sense, especially to describe goals or ideas that don’t work together. For example, if your parents’ goal for you is to get good grades and your goal is to do as little schoolwork as possible, your parents’ and your goals are likely misaligned because the surest way to get good grades is to do the schoolwork. People might also be figuratively said to be misaligned, especially in relationships of all sorts. If you like staying up late and listening to loud music but your roommate likes going to bed early and a quiet room, the two of you might be misaligned—at least as roommates. Literally, something that is misaligned is out of its normal orientation or order in some way. Picture a row of chairs. If all of them are in a straight line, we say that they are aligned. If some of the chairs are farther forward than others, we say that the row of chairs is misaligned. Two or more things that can be arranged in a specific way in relation to each other, such as in a line or on an angle, can be misaligned. In medicine, one of the most common uses of misaligned is in reference to bones not lining up correctly. When a bone is out of place in the body it can lead to stiffness, pain, and other problems. Example: My teeth were so misaligned that I needed braces to fix them.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of misaligned
First recorded in 1915–20; misalign ( def. ) + -ed 2
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.
But, even when we've been close partners, sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
This places abfraction alongside other dental issues, such as impacted wisdom teeth and misaligned teeth, which are rare in wild primates but common in humans today.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
"I'm also scared. But that's better than living a life that's misaligned, or being around constant comparison and losing yourself."
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
The result is a market in which preferences are private, incentives are misaligned and reliable information is hard to come by.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
My senses were so misaligned that I was nearly killed in the woods.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
