miscast

American  

[mis-kast, -kahst] / mɪsˈkæst, -ˈkɑst /

verb (used with object)

miscasts, present (3rd person singular) miscast, past participle, past miscasting present participle

1. to assign an unsuitable role to (an actor).

   Tom was miscast as Romeo.

2. to allot (a role) to an unsuitable actor.

3. to select unsuitable actors for (a play, motion picture, or the like).

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miscast British  

/ ˌmɪsˈkɑːst /

verb

1. to cast badly

2. (often passive)

   1. to cast (a role or the roles) in (a play, film, etc) inappropriately

      Falstaff was certainly miscast

   2. to assign an inappropriate role to

      he was miscast as Othello

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• miscasting
  present
• miscast
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• miscast
  simple
• miscasts
  simple
• have miscast
  perfect
• has miscast
  perfect
• am miscasting
  progressive
• are miscasting
  progressive
• is miscasting
  progressive
• have been miscasting
  perfect progressive
• has been miscasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• miscast
  simple
• had miscast
  perfect
• was miscasting
  progressive
• were miscasting
  progressive
• had been miscasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will miscast
  simple
• will have miscast
  perfect
• will be miscasting
  progressive
• will have been miscasting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of miscast

1925–30; mis- ¹ + cast (in sense “to select or assign actors”)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

miscast miscasts miscasting

That instinct, he told me, comes from a lifetime of feeling miscast in American politics.

From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2026

The problem is that the issue has been miscast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Dialogue tip: When your romantic twosome is this miscast, don’t underline the issue by having one of them say, “Make me believe it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025

By contrast, Jay Leno seems miscast as Ed Sullivan, strangely rendering the legendary showman into a gangster persona.

From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2025

It takes more than a dozen crewmen to lift the woefully miscast Liberty Bell to the railing.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

This construction, in my view, unfortunately miscasts both the issue and the intent of the Framers.

From US News ● Jun. 29, 2015

Notwithstanding, the worst of these miscasts fell to my lot.

From The Master of Appleby A Novel Tale Concerning Itself in Part with the Great Struggle in the Two Carolinas; but Chiefly with the Adventures Therein of Two Gentlemen Who Loved One and the Same Lady by Lynde, Francis

Despite some spirited action scenes, my disappointment falls squarely on the miscasting of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as an unlikable, uninspiring character, annoying and smug and with a smirk in nearly every scene.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

Film miscasting didn't help, but Lansbury always had that old soul charm.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2022

So ya got trouble in River City, and the miscasting of Jackman is hardly the only problem.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2022

But sometimes, miscasting can be very interesting, in the hands of an actor who knows what she’s doing — and Kidman is definitely that.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2021

Quite how the crack team behind the show managed to turn such rich dramatic potential into a slightly dull hour of telly is as bewildering as the miscasting of Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother.

From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2017