mistakenly

[ mi-stey-kuhn-lee ]

adverb

1. unintentionally or inadvertently; by mistake:

   I may have mistakenly interchanged them without realizing it.

2. in a way that is wrongly conceived, held, or done; incorrectly:

   Many people mistakenly believe their PhD will help them land a stable, middle-class job even if they can't get an academic job.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mistakenly¹

mistaken ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

The park authority said some visitors were "unaware of the longstanding Welsh names and may mistakenly believe they are new".

From BBC

But there were also concerns over pronunciation and some visitors being "unaware of the longstanding Welsh names and may mistakenly believe they are new".

From BBC

Challenges have also been raised, including some visitors mistakenly believing the Welsh names are new, leading to "some resistance and confusion".

From BBC

Eagle-eyed Wicked fans got more than they bargained for when small-print on packaging for dolls inspired by the movie mistakenly listed the address for an adult website.

From BBC

And it refused for now to put on hold a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling allowing some state voters who mistakenly failed to include required secrecy sleeves over their absentee ballots to vote instead using a provisional ballot at a polling place.

From Slate

Related Words

• erroneously
• falsely