misshapen
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of misshapen
1350–1400; Middle English: past participle of misshape; see -en 3
Explanation
Something that has an abnormal form or shape is misshapen. For example, you might find an old misshapen Barbie, with messy hair and missing limbs, at the bottom of a toy chest. Things that are so malformed or distorted that they look weird or ugly are misshapen. Ballet dancers sometimes end up with misshapen feet after years of cramming them into pointe shoes, and when you grow your own vegetables in your back yard, you often end up with misshapen ones that taste delicious. Misshapen comes from the Old English roots mis, "wrong," and scapan, "to create or form."
Vocabulary lists containing misshapen
Wonder
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Number the Stars
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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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.
What rare fruit survived to maturity on these little, addled trees was misshapen, acrid, and stubbornly green on one end; in short, it tasted terrible.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
But it also puts a target on his splotchy, misshapen head, especially when Garbinger senses in his nemesis an exploitable biofuel.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025
These misshapen proteins can disrupt mitochondria’s ability to produce the energy cells need.
From Science Magazine • May 22, 2024
By buying misshapen and ugly produce and reselling it at discount prices in subscription boxes, Misfits Market has grown into a billion-dollar business.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2024
No, Miss Miss had come to compete in a slinky pink evening gown that stretched across her misshapen body.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
