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

Examples of misalign in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of these requirements are misaligned with the realities on the ground in the Pacific. —Charles Edel, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024

Contextual relevance allows banks to anticipate customer needs and address them proactively, not reactively—or, worse, misaligned to the need. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

When the selling journey is misaligned with this complex decision-making process, opportunities are missed, and sales cycles are extended. —Toyna Chin, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024

But expectations and reality have a funny way of misaligning in the NFL. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above