misjudge
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- misjudger noun
- misjudgingly adverb
- misjudgment noun
Etymology
Origin of misjudge
Explanation
When you misjudge someone, you have mistaken ideas about what they're like. Politicians who misjudge their constituents aren't often reelected. If you've ever found yourself jumping to conclusions about someone after meeting them once, and then realizing they aren't the way you thought they were, you know what it is to misjudge someone. If a tennis player misjudges her opponent, she's likely to miss an unexpected shot and lose the match. When you judge, you form an opinion about someone or something. Now add the "bad or wrong" prefix mis-, and you've got misjudge.
Vocabulary lists containing misjudge
mis-
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"Earth (A Gift Shop)," Vocabulary from the short story
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: 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.
“Families continually misjudge how fast the need for care can expand,” says Farr.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Without accounting for this process, models may misjudge how carbon moves through the ocean and how the system responds to environmental stress.
From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026
Cramps can creep up on those who misjudge their pre-match routine.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
Angelica is interesting because the sisters really misjudge her.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2024
This type of phenomenon has been described in the psychological literature as pluralistic ignorance, in which people misjudge the norm.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
