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Showing results for misguided. Search instead for misgaged.
Synonyms

misguided

American  
[mis-gahy-did] / mɪsˈgaɪ dɪd /

adjective

  1. misled; mistaken.

    Their naive actions were a misguided attempt to help poor people.
misguided British  
/ ˌmɪsˈɡaɪdɪd /

adjective

  1. foolish or unreasonable, esp in action or behaviour

"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

Other Word Forms

  • misguidedly adverb
  • misguidedness noun
  • unmisguided adjective
  • unmisguidedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of misguided

First recorded in 1480–90; misguide + -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.

For a while, they thought he was principled if misguided, and not the best at explaining himself.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

In a 70-page petition filed with the Fourth Appellate District Monday, Bonta wrote that “the Sheriff’s misguided investigation threatens to sow distrust and jeopardize public confidence” in upcoming elections.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Often, the source of their unfavorable choice is a misguided reliance on past performance.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

Seth Lazar, a philosophy professor at the Australian National University, says the new measures were "extremely misguided, both as a matter of technological practice and from the perspective of liberal values".

From BBC • Mar. 8, 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.