misidentify

verb

mis·​iden·​ti·​fy ˌmis-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī 

-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

And, biologists diagnosing based on microscopic findings in samples from the animal’s body still risk misidentifying the worm. —Jessie Richards, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025

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

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

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misidentify

• canaliculi
• dwi
• micronuclei
• oversimplify
• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify