misguided 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of misguidednext
1
as in confused

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in misleading

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

misguided

2 of 2

verb

past tense of misguide
as in deceived
to cause to believe what is untrue we were misguided by the flashy advertisements for what turned out to be pretty lousy pizza

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 misguided
Adjective
Emily’s misguided research ultimately proves that love stories can’t be plotted and graphed like science experiments; more modern studio romantic comedies could stand to learn the same lesson. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026 That’s no problem for them, because the failures occur years after the discussions, minimizing the political risk to those who voted for these misguided plans. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
It would have been misguided to paint himself as the bold employee held back by the ownership’s shackles. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 16 May 2026 And, as scripted by Craig Mazin (The Last of Us), their dialogue is both mildly amusing and intriguingly philosophical, if at times misguided. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for misguided
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misguided
  1. confused
  2. misleading
  3. deceived
  4. misinformed
  5. unreasoned
  6. tricked
  7. erroneous
  8. irrational
Adjective
  • Also, if the switch from side by side to one-front/one-back happened instantaneously, your brain would get confused about how to interpret the images delivered from each eye, since the setup would be quite different from what you were used to.
    — Abigail Witmer, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Critics of the move have been vocal, and many residents were left confused.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • Blanche is also confronting growing distrust of the Justice Department among judges, who in multiple cases have accused government lawyers of withholding information or misleading courts.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Both made misleading statements when questioned by authorities, according to the lawsuit.
    — Chase Jordan August 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of misleading
Verb
  • Now some say the operation has left them feeling deceived and questioning whether the White House considered their safety.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
  • White House pool reporters deceived Advertisement McDonald pushed back on the idea that Air Force One and the people still aboard it, including journalists, were left exposed.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceived
Adjective
  • There are still those who claim that news about the global whiskey market slump is misinformed or not truly representative of the bigger picture.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Ohtani's specific case, which started the misinformed outrage over deferrals, is even less controversial.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of misinformed
Adjective
  • In each case, the actual right to your body is deferred to some third party, either the paternalists, the hypothetical children, or unreasoned authority.
    — Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2011
Definition of unreasoned
Verb
  • In the past couple of years, deepfakes have already tricked large firms like Arup into wiring $25 million to scammers.
    — Allyson Kapin, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • In September 2025, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, noting that consumers could still enjoy the treats even if they felt tricked by the wrappers.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of tricked
Adjective
  • The lawsuit alleges that South Dakota’s rollout of the proof-of-citizenship requirement has disqualified eligible voters over erroneous minutiae and failed to offer them a realistic shot at fixing problems with their registration application.
    — John Hult, States Newsroom, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Towers told ProPublica that the audit had reached erroneous conclusions, that the auditors did not give him the opportunity to fully defend his work and that the journal’s willingness to stand by the study is proof that his research is sound.
    — Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • But the question remained unsolved for polygons with irrational angles.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the argument goes, today's spending is irrational because the hardware would need to be replaced too frequently to generate an attractive return on investment, known as ROI.
    — , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of irrational

Browse Nearby Words

misguide
misguided
misguidedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misguided.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misguided. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All