misguided

1 of 2

adjective

mis·​guid·​ed (ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd 

: led or prompted by wrong or inappropriate motives or ideals

well-meaning but misguided do-gooders

misguidedly

(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-lē 

adverb

misguidedness

(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-nəs 

noun

misguided

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of misguide

Examples of misguided in a Sentence

Adjective

She's been getting a lot of bad advice from misguided friends.

He blames the crisis on the government's misguided economic policies.

a misguided attempt to help

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And truly, now, does the idea of a modern Egyptian family having an underground pyramid in the backyard of their Aswan home strike you as any less pathetically misguided? — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Headlines suggesting a swift resolution if geopolitical tensions ease are misguided. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Overall, the Bush administration’s misguided foray reinforced in the minds of many in the Middle East a distrust of America’s allegiances, commitments, and adherence to the protocols of the Geneva Conventions, a distrust that persists to this day. — David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

Tina Belcher Tina Belcher, the oldest child in the Bob’s Burgers clan, reminds us of our own misguided teen years with a relevance that is sometimes horrifying. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1500, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misguided

• abided
• collided
• confided
• decided
• derided
• divided
• elided
• lopsided
• nitrided
• presided
• provided
• resided