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misdirected

adjective

as in misguided

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of misdirected The primary barrier has been the cumulative friction of subpar user experiences, misdirected marketing and an obsession with speculative trading over personal finance. — Jeff Mahony, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 What’s being exploited and misdirected is men’s search for belonging and for economic security. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 The evidence will show that this was a misdirected voicemail resulting from a scam call, not a deliberate communication directed at Sheriff Kamara. — Joe Holden, CBS News, 28 July 2026 Reducing misdirected street lighting for example can really help, especially in areas with species that need low light for navigation. — Mack Baysinger follow, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 The turban’s high visibility leaves Sikh men uniquely vulnerable to misdirected Islamophobic attacks, according to the American Bar Association. — Susie Neilson, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2026 The novelist Naomi Alderman recently wrote about how the thing that keeps drawing us back to our phones is actually a misdirected desire to learn. — Richard Godwin, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026 Everyone in the book suffers from unreturned or misdirected love. — Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 Even with smart investing, without the right systems in place to transfer this wealth, wealth that took generations to build can be lost, misdirected, or fumbled entirely. — Essence, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misdirected
  1. misguided
  2. ineffective
  3. careless
  4. ill-advised
Adjective
  • And truly, now, does the idea of a modern Egyptian family having an underground pyramid in the backyard of their Aswan home strike you as any less pathetically misguided?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Headlines suggesting a swift resolution if geopolitical tensions ease are misguided.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of misguided
Adjective
  • Candelora called the governance structure of the Board ineffective.
    — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But what is changing is the speed at which innovative tactics and operations can be rendered ineffective.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of ineffective
Adjective
  • Attention is often the first casualty of careless communication.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The losers would include the families of passengers who were uninsured, those of trespassers who were careless (or suicidal), and, equally tragically, those of unfortunate railway employees killed in the course of their employment.
    — Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of careless
Adjective
  • Mejia said the city had been ill-advised to agree to be the financial backstop, should the Games lose money.
    — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Miss Manners does not consider this rude so much as ill-advised.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ill-advised

Browse Nearby Words

misdiagnosing
misdirected
misdirection
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Cite this Entry

“Misdirected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misdirected. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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