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

According to the memoir, Drakaki determined that his cancer had been misdiagnosed, leading to a different treatment approach. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Drakaki looked into Lundgren’s health and discovered that he had actually been misdiagnosed. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026

And yet, thanks to gender bias in research, diagnosis and treatment, women are 50% more likely than men to have their heart attacks misdiagnosed. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 8 Sep. 2026

Her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, argued that she was misdiagnosed and overmedicated. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misdiagnose

• agarose
• aliquots
• amigos
• anthracnose
• bottlenose
• buffaloes
• bungalows
• calicoes
• cameos
• commandos
• conversos
• decompose

Medical Definition

misdiagnose

transitive verb

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

misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing

: to diagnose incorrectly