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.
"I would have been mistaken for thinking I'd done some serious misconduct or some criminal offence - instead I told a bad joke for which I've apologised," he added.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
It is mistaken to say that violence committed in the name of this insight has nothing to do with Islam, just as it is wrong to think of Islam as an inherently violent religion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 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
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have enduring relevance in culture. I think it’s often mistaken when something is more popular that it’s more meaningful or impactful,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
But my hermanitas were mistaken if they thought I was going to drive them around in that death trap.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
