misguided

[ mis-gahy-did ]

adjective

1. misled; mistaken:

   Their naive actions were a misguided attempt to help poor people.

misguided

/ ˌmɪsˈɡaɪdɪd /

adjective

1. foolish or unreasonable, esp in action or behaviour

Derived Forms

• ˌmisˈguidedly, adverb

Other Words From

• mis·guided·ly adverb
• mis·guided·ness noun
• unmis·guided adjective
• unmis·guided·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of misguided¹

First recorded in 1480–90; misguide + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Surveys indicate that a growing number of Americans view partisan opponents not only as misguided but also as agents of evil.

From Time

Without a significant investment in streets, sidewalks and traffic flow solutions, residents in our core communities will once again suffer most from noble but misguided attempts to increase our housing supply and put downward pressure on rents.

From Voice of San Diego

Bringing the dog to the scene of the crime to enact the punishment is common — and is an especially misguided tactic.

From Freakonomics

People who think that we’re done sorting it out are misguided in one way or another.

From Nautilus

The solution to the resentment some fans are feeling probably isn’t a misguided form of player-club loyalty on the part of the Rays.

From FiveThirtyEight

Perhaps that presumption was misguided, but more on that later.

From The Daily Beast

Sweden explores new frontiers in our misguided, foolish, pointless obsession with rating and censoring entertainment.

From The Daily Beast

It was the scene that launched a thousand HBO subscriptions—and one misguided, mammary-centric New Yorker think piece.

From The Daily Beast

First there are those who became agnostics, and who think Christians are misguided at best.

From The Daily Beast

Somehow I think the outrage should be at what happened there, not at this somewhat misguided girl.

From The Daily Beast

But, glad as was the schemer, his delight and sense of freedom were much inferior to those of his misguided and unlucky partner.

From Project Gutenberg

Dangerfield must have been expecting something to go crossways in Phœnix and had some of his misguided friends watching McKibben.

From Project Gutenberg

He watched over and protected the misguided woman, consenting to act as godfather to the child she had by Lousteau.

From Project Gutenberg

The misguided nobleman was taken napping in a dry ditch, with the George and 200 guineas in his pocket.

From Project Gutenberg

Are the raving words, the wicked thoughts of a misguided, vicious woman to be believed by those who hear them?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• confused
• erroneous
• foolish
• misplaced
• mistaken
• unreasonable
• unwarranted
• unwise