- past participle of mistake.
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
Etymology
Origin of mistaken
First recorded in 1590–1600; past participle of mistake; see -en 3
Explanation
Someone who's mistaken is confused or wrong about something. If you think your guidance counselor is mistaken about what you should do with your life, you will probably ignore his advice. If you see a car speeding through town, you might assume the driver is a teenager — but you'd be mistaken if the car is actually driven by an elderly lady. You also might believe someone else is mistaken if their opinion seems wrong to you: "You think strawberry ice cream is better than chocolate, but you're mistaken." Mistaken comes from mistake, from its Old Norse root mistaka, "take in error."
Vocabulary lists containing mistaken
Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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Power Suffix: -en
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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.
Shortly after the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Patel tweeted that the shooter was in custody; it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
A shadow can briefly resemble a face, or one object can momentarily be mistaken for another.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
Let’s count the ways conventional wisdom could prove mistaken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
To passersby, we could easily be mistaken for two teenagers hiding in the shadows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
As I said it, it occurred to me that Katz could have just as easily mistaken him for Frankie.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
