misapplication

noun

mis·​ap·​pli·​ca·​tion ˌmis-ˌa-plə-ˈkā-shən 

plural misapplications

1

: the act or an instance of applying something incorrectly or improperly

a misapplication of the law

herbicide misapplication

2

: the act or an instance of misusing or spending something (such as public money) without proper authority

… a bank president was convicted of misapplication after he programmed the bank's computer not to debit his personal checking account when it would otherwise have been overdrawn.

—Stanley S. Arkin

Synonyms

• abuse
• misemployment
• misusage
• misuse
• misutilization
• perversion

Examples of misapplication in a Sentence

this silly gossiping is a serious misapplication of your time

Recent Examples on the Web

This appears to be no more complicated than an application (perhaps a misapplication) of human courtesies to the canine world. —Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2024

Those misapplications might trigger personal liability for the guarantor, the former principal of the mortgage borrower – but the guarantor can no longer do anything to prevent it. —Joshua Stein, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

In detailed chapters on topics like modern war-game simulations and the misapplication of game theory in justifying mass privatization, Clancy warns of the societal risks of allowing mathematical models to govern political decisions. —The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

To mitigate the risk of gen AI content misuse and misapplication, organizations need to develop the capabilities to detect, identify, and prevent the spread of such potentially misleading content. —Öykü Isik, amit Joshi, lazaros Goutas, Harvard Business Review, 31 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1