misjudge
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- misjudger noun
- misjudgingly adverb
- misjudgment noun
Etymology
Origin of misjudge
Explanation
When you misjudge someone, you have mistaken ideas about what they're like. Politicians who misjudge their constituents aren't often reelected. If you've ever found yourself jumping to conclusions about someone after meeting them once, and then realizing they aren't the way you thought they were, you know what it is to misjudge someone. If a tennis player misjudges her opponent, she's likely to miss an unexpected shot and lose the match. When you judge, you form an opinion about someone or something. Now add the "bad or wrong" prefix mis-, and you've got misjudge.
Vocabulary lists containing misjudge
mis-
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"Earth (A Gift Shop)," Vocabulary from the short story
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When central bankers misjudge the moment, markets adjust quickly, and policy makers are forced to follow.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026
Without accounting for this process, models may misjudge how carbon moves through the ocean and how the system responds to environmental stress.
From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026
Cramps can creep up on those who misjudge their pre-match routine.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
“It’s one thing to make a mistake or misjudge something or be ignorant,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2025
The stakes are higher of course, play the wrong song in a tavern and people might hiss you, but misjudge an entire town and things can get uglier than that.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
