mismatch

American  

[mis-mach, mis-mach] / mɪsˈmætʃ, ˈmɪsˌmætʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to match badly or unsuitably.

---

noun

1. a bad or unsatisfactory match.

mismatch British  

/ ˌmɪsˈmætʃ /

verb

1. to match badly, esp in marriage

---

noun

1. a bad or inappropriate match

Etymology

Origin of mismatch

First recorded in 1590–1600; mis- ¹ + match ²

Explanation

When two things (or people) don't work well together or correspond with each other, it's a mismatch. If there's a mismatch between the amount of free time you have and the hours of exercise your puppy needs, you might want to hire a dog walker. There might be a mismatch between workers' skills and the actual jobs that are available, or a mismatch between your aunt and uncle, who seem totally unsuited for each other. Mismatch is also a verb that means "match up badly," like when you mismatch your red shirt with your purple pants. Sometimes sports matches or games are called mismatches too, when one team is clearly superior to the other.

Example Sentences

Financially, the Europa League was a complete mismatch too.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

The mismatch suggests that Wall Street expects there to be a real possibility of Fed interest-rate hikes, particularly with inflation moving away from the central bank’s 2% yearly target.

From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026

This inventory mismatch hits families earning around $75,000 especially hard.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Their work shows that the long debated mismatch between theory and experiment was likely caused by limitations in earlier calculations rather than evidence of unknown physics.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

The growing spatial mismatch of jobs had a profound impact on African Americans trapped in ghettos.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• discrepancy
• imbalance