1
as in misunderstanding
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in underestimating
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confusing
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 mistaking
The problem is mistaking a large platform — or a fluent AI — for a qualified one, and letting that mistake drive decisions that actually matter.
—
Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
No one’s mistaking this for My Left Foot.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
But there was no mistaking the defense emphasis, which was needed.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 27 May 2026
And mistaking one for the other is another legacy of how the Cold War foreshortened the humanistic possibilities of the intellectual revolution of the past eighty years—a revolution that has, miraculously, allowed people to communicate with machines using human languages.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Their father, Nahuel (Amién), flits from one romantic affair to another, failing to recognize his shortcomings the way fathers typically forget minor yet significant details, like mistaking his younger daughter’s shoe size or never delivering on his promise to have the sink fixed.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
There’s no mistaking the stark change in the chip’s packaging.
—Yuri Kageyama, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
You could be forgiven for mistaking the two.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 13 May 2026
There’s no mistaking the stark change in the chip’s packaging.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
No one’s mistaking this for My Left Foot.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
But there was no mistaking the defense emphasis, which was needed.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 27 May 2026
And mistaking one for the other is another legacy of how the Cold War foreshortened the humanistic possibilities of the intellectual revolution of the past eighty years—a revolution that has, miraculously, allowed people to communicate with machines using human languages.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Their father, Nahuel (Amién), flits from one romantic affair to another, failing to recognize his shortcomings the way fathers typically forget minor yet significant details, like mistaking his younger daughter’s shoe size or never delivering on his promise to have the sink fixed.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
There’s no mistaking the stark change in the chip’s packaging.
—Yuri Kageyama, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
You could be forgiven for mistaking the two.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 13 May 2026
There’s no mistaking the stark change in the chip’s packaging.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistaking
Verb
-
Toine says the two most common errors in orchid maintenance result from misunderstanding light and water requirements.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
14 May 2026
-
David Schurman Wallace on misunderstanding Gertrude Stein.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Apple While Apple was once viewed as behind in AI, Cramer argued investors are underestimating the company's improving AI ecosystem.—
Alexa LoMonaco,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
-
During disease outbreaks, people often obsess over disinfecting surfaces while underestimating the importance of ventilation, metabolic health, vaccination, sleep or chronic disease management.—
John Samuels,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Stop confusing busy with productive Founders in the struggle zone are busy.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Schoen’s contract extension is confusing at best.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Bernice Courtemanche went missing 42 years ago as of Saturday.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
Conducted in partnership with public opinion research firm PerryUndem, the research explored the gap between dominant cultural narratives about Black women and the stories Black women say are missing, distorted, or urgently needed.—
Dominique Fluker,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Rather than collisions caused by surrounding traffic, these incidents involved the vehicle misjudging objects directly in its path.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar hit the barriers after misjudging a chicane.—
Sahil Kapur,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The first is conflating selling with self-promotion.—
Cynthia Pong,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
Don’t make this mistake of conflating style with substance.—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistaking. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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