as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
you've misapplied the theorem to certain problems that require a different formula kids who misapply their boundless energy and get into trouble
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Recent Examples of misapply
Without adjusting, companies will misapply probabilistic tools to deterministic problems and misinterpret their outcomes.
—
Richie Etwaru,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
But sometimes people misapply the word tradition to things that are simply obsolete.
—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
30 Dec. 2024
Our biased admiration for good fathers is misapplied to a species, such as the bald eagle, in which biparental care is the rule.
—
Time,
17 June 2023
First, if a bull market means to you that stocks are trending unequivocally upward, then, no, the bull market label is being misapplied right now.
—
Jeff Sommer,
New York Times,
16 June 2023
Democrats in Tallahassee say the program isn’t just bad policy, it was misapplied to move migrants from Texas.
—
Todd J. Gillman,
Dallas News,
7 June 2023
O'Shea said the study's findings have often been misinterpreted or misapplied since its publication.
—
Hannah Hudnall,
USA TODAY,
2 June 2023
Ioniţă still has both qualities in equal measure, but they were sorely misapplied in his performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto.
—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2023
But laser projectors are still vulnerable to errors of neglect — i.e., dead bugs and misapplied 3-D lenses — and can introduce problems of their own, including a tendency toward green and magenta highlights.
—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2023
Richie Etwaru,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
But sometimes people misapply the word tradition to things that are simply obsolete.
—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
30 Dec. 2024
Our biased admiration for good fathers is misapplied to a species, such as the bald eagle, in which biparental care is the rule.
—
Time,
17 June 2023
First, if a bull market means to you that stocks are trending unequivocally upward, then, no, the bull market label is being misapplied right now.
—
Jeff Sommer,
New York Times,
16 June 2023
Democrats in Tallahassee say the program isn’t just bad policy, it was misapplied to move migrants from Texas.
—
Todd J. Gillman,
Dallas News,
7 June 2023
O'Shea said the study's findings have often been misinterpreted or misapplied since its publication.
—
Hannah Hudnall,
USA TODAY,
2 June 2023
Ioniţă still has both qualities in equal measure, but they were sorely misapplied in his performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto.
—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2023
But laser projectors are still vulnerable to errors of neglect — i.e., dead bugs and misapplied 3-D lenses — and can introduce problems of their own, including a tendency toward green and magenta highlights.
—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misapply
Verb
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Peregrine doesn’t use facial recognition, doesn’t create or collect new data, and builds active flagging mechanisms, not passive ones, when data is misused.
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But he was ejected from the company in 1973 for allegedly misusing corporate funds, and pleaded guilty to tax evasion.
Verb
-
One video advertises access to a longer clip of a boy toddler being abused for less than three dollars.
-
Christina alleged that Joan physically and emotionally abused her and Christopher in her best-selling 1978 memoir, Mommie Dearest, which was adapted for the 1981 film that starred Faye Dunaway.
Cite this Entry
“Misapply.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misapply. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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