misdiagnose

verb

mis·​di·​ag·​nose ˌmis-ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs 

-ˌnōz,

ˌdī-ig-ˈnōs,

-ˈnōz,

-əg-

misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing

transitive verb

: to diagnose (someone or something) incorrectly

… babesiosis is often missed or misdiagnosed as malaria or flu.

—Linda Marsa

The researchers added that children with this disease are often misdiagnosed and thus inappropriately treated …

—Jane E. Brody

Examples of misdiagnose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Autopsies can catch hereditary illnesses that doctors tend to miss, such as signet-ring-cell carcinomas, and reveal causes of dementia that may have been misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s. —Samuel Ashworth, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025

Women were frequently dismissed or misdiagnosed, left to navigate the transition alone. —Jane Hanson, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

This is, in large part, due to the symptoms of endometriosis, which can be misdiagnosed for other conditions. —Kristen Fischer, Health, 4 Mar. 2025

Emotional dysregulation has traditionally been overlooked as one of the most debilitating aspects of ADHD and has resulted in people being misdiagnosed with conditions like depression and anxiety. —New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misdiagnose

• arabinose
• arpeggios
• chlorpyrifos
• manifestoes
• manifestos
• pistachios
• politicos
• portfolios
• superimpose
• agarose
• aliquots
• amigos

Medical Definition

misdiagnose

transitive verb

mis·​di·​ag·​nose (ˈ)mis-ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs, -ˌnōz 

misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing

: to diagnose incorrectly