misguided
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of misguided
Explanation
A misguided decision is one that's made without good judgment and careful thought. It would be misguided to think you could write your entire term paper in one night, or to climb into the polar bear exhibit at the zoo for a better look at them. Misguided is a polite way to say "a really dumb decision or belief." Your choice to go swimming in the ocean during a hurricane would definitely be considered misguided, and so would your decision to join the mountain climbing team if you are afraid of heights. Both are examples of unwise choices made after not enough deliberation. Misguided uses the prefix mis-, "bad or wrong," and guided, or "directed."
Vocabulary lists containing misguided
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-
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"Should Communities Set Teen Curfews?" and "Curfews: A National Debate"
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mis-
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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.
And Friedrich Hayek suggested that recessions occur regularly, as maladjustments build up from misguided interest-rate policies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
As logical as this might seem at first blush, it could ultimately prove to be misguided, according to one top Wall Street strategist.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
With that context, I’ve been literally raving over “Butterfly Jam,” a film so fundamentally misguided it could almost be the cineaste version of “The Room.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
In his sentencing remarks, Judge James Sampson accepted there was "no evidence of threats, violence or coercion", adding the parents - who had no previous convictions - acted on "misguided cultural beliefs, rather than malice".
From BBC • May 15, 2026
I don’t want to get any of society’s misguided ideas in my head.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
