misalign

verb

mis·​align ˌmis-ə-ˈlīn 

misaligned; misaligning

transitive + intransitive

: to align badly or incorrectly

… the rear coach loosened an axle crossing a rough switch frog, misaligning the wheels so that they came off the track and bumped along the ties …

—Terry Pindell

Even minor movement can cause the cords in the wireless charger to misalign and the charging to stop.

—Rishabh Jain

misaligned

ˌmis-ə-ˈlīnd 

adjective

… the lack of stereopsis results from conflicting input reaching the brain from the two misaligned eyes …

—Susan R. Barry

Worn wheels, defective axles, … and misaligned rails, as well as human error, also cause derailments.

—Ralph Vartabedian

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above