misshapen

adjective

mis·​shap·​en ˌmis-ˈshā-pən 

1

: having an ugly or deformed shape

It is, in fact, a homely and misshapen little gray airplane that looks like it was cobbled together in someone's garage.

—Patricia Trenner

2

: morally or intellectually deformed or distorted

misshapen ideas of justice

misshapenly adverb

She has brought Trot, her mangy mongrel, with her. He lies misshapenly across her vast lap …

—John le Carré

misshapenness noun

… masterpieces of dullness, misshapenness, and folly …

—Louis Simpson

Synonyms

• deformed
• distorted
• malformed
• monstrous
• shapeless

Examples of misshapen in a Sentence

the returning camper proudly presented his mother with a misshapen clay bowl that he had made in crafts class

Recent Examples on the Web

Her nails were curled and misshapen, and had even started to grow back into her feet. —Alina Hartounian, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025

But director Dan Trachtenberg proves once again his monster movie credentials with bringing to life all manners of misshapen creations, digital or otherwise, that would be truly terrifying if ever released into existence. —Steve Greene, IndieWire, 12 Apr. 2025

The misshapen cells can block small blood vessels and impede blood flow, restricting the amount of oxygen in the blood stream. —Unicef Usa, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

Fruit not outwardly aesthetically pleasing — misshapen or greenish — is removed by hand and sold elsewhere to become juice. —Jack Randall, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misshapen

• shapen

Kids Definition

misshapen

adjective

mis·​shap·​en

(ˈ)mis-ˈshā-pən,

(ˈ)mish-

: badly shaped : having an ugly shape