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

For as long as medicine has been practiced, women’s health concerns have been minimized, misdiagnosed or dismissed. —Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026

In many cases, valley fever symptoms can mirror the flu or COVID, leading doctors to misdiagnose patients, and to not provide proper treatment. —Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026

A lot of times it's misdiagnosed or diagnosed at a very late stage. —Josh Sanders, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026

Since early signs are so varied, Parkinson's is frequently misdiagnosed in its initial stages, Salinas said, just as King Crews' early symptoms were dismissed. —Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026

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