misnomer
noun
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Don't Mistake the Meaning of Misnomer
What’s in a name? Well, in some cases, a name will contain an error, a misunderstanding, or a mislabeling. Historians have long noted that the Holy Roman Empire was not holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. The Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed’s Hill. And the Pennsylvania Dutch are in fact of German ancestry. For such cases, we have the term misnomer, which can refer both to the use of an incorrect or inappropriate designation (as in “it’s a misnomer to call an orca a ‘killer whale’”) or to the designation itself. Regardless, there’s no mistaking the source of misnomer: it comes from the Anglo-French verb mesnomer (“to misname”) and ultimately has its roots in nomen, the Latin word for “name.”
Examples of misnomer in a Sentence
Brandon Funston, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
The surreal part of the show’s title is a bit of a misnomer.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
The term has always been a bit of a misnomer, however.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2025
The name is a bit of a misnomer, though—the dinner-only restaurant serves Italian fare and local seafood, not high tea service.
—Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misnomer
Cite this Entry
“Misnomer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misnomer. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misnomer
noun
Legal Definition
misnomer
noun
Note: Amendment of the pleadings is generally allowed in cases of misnomer.
Anglo-French mesnomer, from mesnomer to misname, from Middle French mes- wrongly + nommer to name, from Latin nominare, from nomin-, nomen name
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