as in incorrect
having an opinion that does not agree with truth or the facts
meat loaf is on the cafeteria's menu today, if I'm not mistaken
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in misunderstood
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
the auctioneer mistook my nod for a bid, and I ended up buying a painting I don't even like
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in underestimated
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confused
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
she mistook physical attraction for love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mistaken
Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
There were a few speakers, including former longtime Star-Telegram columnist Bob Ray Sanders, who joked about being mistaken for Jackson on a few occasions.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2026
The distortions of segregation in the South in the forties left their mark, to be sure, but behind his tropism for the limelight, underneath all the braggadocio that is mistaken for arrogance, lies Jesse Louis Jackson's greatest longing in life—the lust for legitimacy.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Five days later, a passenger plane, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, was mistaken for an incoming cruise missile and was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing all 176 people on board.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
However, the congresswoman was mistaken.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 17 Feb. 2026
Emotional numbness is mistaken for professionalism.
—Kelly Ehlers, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
It could be mistaken for the latter only because Jokic had thrown so many errant passes over the last two hours already.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Org shows women are nearly twice as likely as men to be mistaken for someone more junior.
—Valerie Chapman, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
This is the second time in the past few weeks that local police in our area have been mistaken for ICE.
—Tara Lynch, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Too many players have mistaken the AI boom for a chance to buy credibility rather than to build capability.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Rather than come off as a protest event, the 35-minute program offered a set of mild, largely non-political performances that could have been mistaken for a vintage CMT or Nashville Network special — even from Kid Rock, who was on his very best behavior during a quick two-song appearance.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Food noise can be described as frequent thoughts about food that can sometimes be mistaken as hunger, experts say.
—Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
Sanders would be mistaken, however, to regard NIL or revenue share as authorizing a workplace fine system.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
They easily could have been mistaken for agitated sports fans, and their actions were small and diffuse enough that they could be quickly dispersed.
—Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
The four finalists vying to be named Miami-Dade County’s top teacher could have easily been mistaken for longtime friends rather than competitors.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Officials said the situation stemmed from a mistaken object.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
There were a few speakers, including former longtime Star-Telegram columnist Bob Ray Sanders, who joked about being mistaken for Jackson on a few occasions.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2026
The distortions of segregation in the South in the forties left their mark, to be sure, but behind his tropism for the limelight, underneath all the braggadocio that is mistaken for arrogance, lies Jesse Louis Jackson's greatest longing in life—the lust for legitimacy.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Five days later, a passenger plane, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, was mistaken for an incoming cruise missile and was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing all 176 people on board.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
However, the congresswoman was mistaken.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 17 Feb. 2026
Emotional numbness is mistaken for professionalism.
—Kelly Ehlers, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
It could be mistaken for the latter only because Jokic had thrown so many errant passes over the last two hours already.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Org shows women are nearly twice as likely as men to be mistaken for someone more junior.
—Valerie Chapman, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Zaluzhnyi believes the agency could not plausibly have mistaken the location of the country’s main war command center.
—Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
This is the second time in the past few weeks that local police in our area have been mistaken for ICE.
—Tara Lynch, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Too many players have mistaken the AI boom for a chance to buy credibility rather than to build capability.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Rather than come off as a protest event, the 35-minute program offered a set of mild, largely non-political performances that could have been mistaken for a vintage CMT or Nashville Network special — even from Kid Rock, who was on his very best behavior during a quick two-song appearance.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Food noise can be described as frequent thoughts about food that can sometimes be mistaken as hunger, experts say.
—Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
Sanders would be mistaken, however, to regard NIL or revenue share as authorizing a workplace fine system.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
They easily could have been mistaken for agitated sports fans, and their actions were small and diffuse enough that they could be quickly dispersed.
—Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
The four finalists vying to be named Miami-Dade County’s top teacher could have easily been mistaken for longtime friends rather than competitors.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistaken
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, those ideas were proven to be incorrect more than a hundred years ago.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Republicans complained that some organizations had been listed twice in the mammoth, 693-page budget bill and others had incorrect names.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Democrats stand for upholding the Constitution and Rule of Law but have been misunderstood by the electorate.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
So both sides have misunderstood his constituency.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Previous predictions had underestimated present population, net migration, and birthrate decline.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Storage is another variable that shouldn't be underestimated.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These earrings are often confused by a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings once owned and worn by Princess Diana—which Kate also wears from time to time.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
-
According to the department, a CCPD officer quickly found the woman confused and cold, but otherwise unharmed.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The pursuit ended after Nipp turned off his headlights and drove into the wrong lane in an attempt to lose the officers.—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
21 Feb. 2026
-
What’s wrong with being uncomfortable and plowing through demanding texts that challenge us to think about bygone times, far-off places and painful emotions, poignantly expressed?—
Patricia Steckler,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Dent then missed a three-pointer with one second left, sending the game to overtime.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Big man Aidan Cammann tied his career high to lead the Cardinal with 19 points, but missed eight free throws.—
Jeff Faraudo,
Mercury News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Even so, the idea seemed misjudged.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In the end, McAdams’ sexiness isn’t incidental, but integral to how she’s been misjudged.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistaken. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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