misshapen

adjective

mis·​shap·​en ˌmis-ˈshā-pən 

1

: having an ugly or deformed shape

It is, in fact, a homely and misshapen little gray airplane that looks like it was cobbled together in someone's garage.

—Patricia Trenner

2

: morally or intellectually deformed or distorted

misshapen ideas of justice

misshapenly adverb

She has brought Trot, her mangy mongrel, with her. He lies misshapenly across her vast lap …

—John le Carré

misshapenness noun

… masterpieces of dullness, misshapenness, and folly …

—Louis Simpson

Synonyms

• deformed
• distorted
• malformed
• monstrous
• shapeless

Examples of misshapen in a Sentence

the returning camper proudly presented his mother with a misshapen clay bowl that he had made in crafts class

Recent Examples on the Web

This segmentation allows the system to use an image in which part of the iris is obstructed—for example, by eyelashes, eyelids, or light reflecting off the eye—or when the entire iris is misshapen or damaged, as in more severe cases of postmortem or diseased eyes. —Adam Czajka, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Aug. 2019

Congenital anomalies can include the following, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: Heart defects, like missing or misshapen valves. —Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024

In a tank of comb jellies in the lab, the team one day noticed a particularly big and misshapen individual. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2024

Heat can cause suede to shrink, warp, or become otherwise misshapen, so keep your suede shoes away from direct sources of heat. —Gia Yetikyel, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

misshapen

adjective

mis·​shap·​en

(ˈ)mis-ˈshā-pən,

(ˈ)mish-

: badly shaped : having an ugly shape