misidentify

verb

mis·​iden·​ti·​fy ˌmis-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce misidentify (audio)
-ə-ˈden-
misidentified; misidentifying

transitive verb

: to identify (someone or something) incorrectly
… a coroner apparently misidentified the bullet he removed from the victim, stating that its caliber differed from that of the bullet entered as evidence against the known shooter.David Fisher
While examining the American Museum's collection, I came across a mongoose specimen that was clearly misidentified.W. Chris Wozencraft

Examples of misidentify in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From hiring algorithms that penalize women to facial recognition systems that misidentify people of color, AI is at risk of replicating—and even amplifying—our worst human prejudices. Sagar Gupta, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Continue reading … SLIP-UP – Klobuchar accused of misidentifying Minneapolis school shooter’s gender. FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Even when a product is labeled with the relevant ingredients, mushrooms are notoriously easy to misidentify when collected. Joshua Kellogg, The Conversation, 15 Aug. 2025 But in reality, the system misidentifies common birds, cameras miss the clarity to distinguish plumage and detail, and battery life proves too short for real daily use. Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 4 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for misidentify

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misidentify was in 1867

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misidentify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misidentify. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on misidentify

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!