misaligned

American  

[mis-uh-lahynd] / ˌmɪs əˈlaɪnd /

adjective

1. improperly or badly adjusted or aligned; out of line or position.

   The benefits of correcting misaligned teeth are many.

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misaligned British  

/ ˌmɪsəˈlaɪnd /

adjective

1. placed or positioned wrongly or badly

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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

• misalignment noun

Etymology

Origin of misaligned

First recorded in 1915–20; misalign ( def. ) + -ed ²

Example Sentences

If misaligned, they are more likely to cause glare.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 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

History is full of ambitious international agreements that collapse under self-interest, misaligned incentives or inertia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Robinson and Kanin are smart to ensure the two sides aren’t starkly misaligned, and the star employs a variety of shades in his performance.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2025

Stan, for example, a twenty-something fellow with wildly misaligned teeth, is so eager to talk that he fairly pounces on the seat next to mine on a bench in the smoking area.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich