misdiagnose

verb

mis·​di·​ag·​nose ˌmis-ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs 

-ˌnōz,

ˌdī-ig-ˈnōs,

-ˈnōz,

-əg-

misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing

transitive verb

: to diagnose (someone or something) incorrectly

… babesiosis is often missed or misdiagnosed as malaria or flu.

—Linda Marsa

The researchers added that children with this disease are often misdiagnosed and thus inappropriately treated …

—Jane E. Brody

Examples of misdiagnose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the past, the general thinking was that girls couldn’t have ADHD and they were misdiagnosed in adolescence with anxiety or depression. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

Research suggests that a lot of people with these conditions go misdiagnosed or undiagnosed for years. —Korin Miller, SELF, 11 Sep. 2025

West went to the hospital two days later and was misdiagnosed with cellulitis. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025

The Product Is In The Last Mile Many AI projects are misdiagnosed as technical failures. —Alessa Cross, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misdiagnose

• arabinose
• arpeggios
• chlorpyrifos
• manifestoes
• manifestos
• pistachios
• politicos
• portfolios
• superimpose
• agarose
• aliquots
• amigos

Medical Definition

misdiagnose

transitive verb

mis·​di·​ag·​nose (ˈ)mis-ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs, -ˌnōz 

misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing

: to diagnose incorrectly