misalignment

noun

mis·​align·​ment ˌmis-ə-ˈlīn-mənt 

plural misalignments

: the condition of being out of correct position or improperly adjusted : bad or incorrect alignment

Over time, because of damage and wear, typewriters develop faults and misalignments that render their typescript unique.

—Laney Salisbury et al.

… overuse injuries are all too often the consequence of poor technique or misalignment of body parts.

—Jane E. Brody

Examples of misalignment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Agents found message board The wiki activity emerged during OpenAI’s work on model misalignment. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

In 2019, Grassi Damiani and the family opted for a delisting of the company, citing misalignment between the management’s strategic plans and shareholders’ expectations. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026

Since the models realized the systems were real and stopped, the company didn’t consider this a true example of model misalignment. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026

For startups under 100 people, this metric highlights cultural issues, onboarding gaps and role misalignment early. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misalignment

• nonalignment
• realignment
• reassignment
• reconsignment
• alignment
• alinement
• assignment
• confinement
• consignment
• refinement