misguided

adjective

mis·​guid·​ed (ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd How to pronounce misguided (audio)
Synonyms of misguidednext
: led or prompted by wrong or inappropriate motives or ideals
well-meaning but misguided do-gooders
misguidedly
(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-lē How to pronounce misguided (audio)
adverb
misguidedness
(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-nəs How to pronounce misguided (audio)
noun

Examples of misguided in a Sentence

She's been getting a lot of bad advice from misguided friends. He blames the crisis on the government's misguided economic policies. a misguided attempt to help
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Instead, they’re made to symbolize everything valiant and determined about the Scottish investigators and everything well-meaning but misguided about their American colleagues, respectively. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 Vonnegut meant that our tendency to immediately categorize events as either good or bad is misguided. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Even American culture’s misguided attempt at welcoming the object through a decades-long foray into plush toilet covers elicits reflective disgust. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 July 2026 All of it was painfully misguided, as though the host nation were actively trying to self-mythologize instead of just hosting. — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for misguided

Word History

First Known Use

1500, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misguided was in 1500

Rhymes for misguided

See All Rhymes for misguided

Browse Nearby Words

misguide
misguided
mishandle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misguided.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misguided. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on misguided

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for misguided

Nglish: Translation of misguided for Spanish Speakers

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