misguided

adjective

mis·​guid·​ed (ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd 

: led or prompted by wrong or inappropriate motives or ideals

well-meaning but misguided do-gooders

misguidedly

(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-lē 

adverb

misguidedness

(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-nəs 

noun

Examples of misguided in a Sentence

She's been getting a lot of bad advice from misguided friends.

He blames the crisis on the government's misguided economic policies.

a misguided attempt to help

Recent Examples on the Web

While the sentiment has good intentions, Baker said this strategy may be misguided or impractical. —Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025

All such economic value is why efforts to remake higher education are misguided, destructive and will ultimately hurt not only universities, but everyone. —Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025

But the heat arises from her characters’ intellectual willfulness, however misguided, and in the way their author thwarts or punishes them for it. —Book Marks august 14, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025

However, Ludwig’s dismissal of gun-safety laws as a way to reduce homicides is misguided. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1500, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misguided

• abided
• collided
• confided
• decided
• derided
• divided
• elided
• lopsided
• nitrided
• presided
• provided
• resided