misguided

1 of 2

adjective

mis·​guid·​ed (ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd How to pronounce misguided (audio)
Synonyms of misguided
: 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

misguided

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of misguide

Examples of misguided in a Sentence

Adjective 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.
Adjective
Camille’s self-righteous anger, so understandable yet so misguided, has burned through the screen every week. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 The old worst dressed lists could be cruel, sexist, culturally ignorant, and spectacularly misguided. — Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for misguided

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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 1 Sep. 2026.

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for misguided

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