misalign

verb

mis·​align ˌmis-ə-ˈlīn How to pronounce misalign (audio)
misaligned; misaligning

transitive + intransitive

: to align badly or incorrectly
… the rear coach loosened an axle crossing a rough switch frog, misaligning the wheels so that they came off the track and bumped along the ties …Terry Pindell
Even minor movement can cause the cords in the wireless charger to misalign and the charging to stop.Rishabh Jain
misaligned adjective
… the lack of stereopsis results from conflicting input reaching the brain from the two misaligned eyes … Susan R. Barry
Worn wheels, defective axles, … and misaligned rails, as well as human error, also cause derailments. Ralph Vartabedian

Examples of misalign in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But in the meantime, the situation is in flux, the industry is misaligned, and consumers are confused. Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2025 Current incentives, in short, are seriously misaligned for the advent of depopulation. Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024 On the contrary, these works form a trail of historical and imagined personalities, full of desires and disinclinations that misalign. Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2025 The style of the shoes was frequently misaligned with the gender of the celebrity—Judy Garland, for example, was represented by a male cowboy boot with a feather and foil crest, while Truman Capote was awarded a woman’s shoe decorated with flowering vines. Richard Meyer, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for misalign

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misalign was in 1908

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misalign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misalign. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

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