misguide

verb

mis·​guide ˌmis-ˈgīd 

misguided; misguiding; misguides

transitive verb

: to lead astray : misdirect

prejudice misguides our minds

misguider noun

Synonyms

• bamboozle
• beguile
• bluff
• buffalo
• burn
• catch
• con
• cozen
• deceive
• delude
• dupe
• fake out
• fool
• gaff
• gammon
• gull
• have
• have on [chiefly British]
• hoax
• hoodwink
• hornswoggle
• humbug
• juggle
• misinform
• mislead
• snooker
• snow
• spoof
• string along
• suck in
• sucker
• take in
• trick

Examples of misguide in a Sentence

we were misguided by the flashy advertisements for what turned out to be pretty lousy pizza

Recent Examples on the Web

The focus: politics, misguided self-improvement, and the challenges of life with young kids and aging parents. —Marc Berman, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024

In her speech, Rose alleged that the media misguided her views about Trump. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 16 July 2024

By contrast, trying to substantially enhance existing ICU capabilities—by providing respirators, for example—would probably be misguided. —Robert Malley, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2020

However, a 2021 paper in the journal World Psychiatry pointed to an emerging consensus that linking the experience solely with depression may be misguided. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

misguide

verb

mis·​guide (ˈ)mis-ˈgīd 

: to lead astray : mislead

misguidance

-ˈgīd-ᵊn(t)s

noun