mistaken
Americanadjective
-
wrongly conceived, held, or done.
a mistaken antagonism.
- Synonyms:
- inaccurate
-
a mistaken answer.
-
having made a mistake; being in error.
adjective
-
(usually predicative) wrong in opinion, judgment, etc
she is mistaken
-
arising from error in judgment, opinion, etc
a mistaken viewpoint
Other Word Forms
- mistakenly adverb
- mistakenness noun
- unmistaken adjective
Etymology
Origin of mistaken
First recorded in 1590–1600; past participle of mistake; -en 3
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.
Improved camera angles make it clearer when officials are mistaken.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
In the heart of Sao Paulo, a "prisonometer" keeps a live tally of people jailed due to Latin America's largest AI facial-recognition system, but its successes have been marred by mistaken arrests.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
It would never be mistaken for a dry lecture or a didactic pamphlet.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Multiple people told the Washington Post that the school was “on a U.S. target list and may have been mistaken for a military site.”
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026
Papá finishes eating his slice of baklava before he says, “I think you are mistaken, Reina. But your baklava is as wonderful as always.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
