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

Just because people who cover the sport brutally misdiagnosed them is no reason to punish them. —The Athletic College Football, The Athletic, 8 Dec. 2024

Sexism within health systems, where women’s symptoms are often dismissed and misdiagnosed. —Anna Byrne, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024

Heart disease, for instance, is the leading cause of death in women, yet women are seven times more likely to be misdiagnosed and sent home from the ER during a heart attack. —Dr. Elizabeth Poynor, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024

Another study found that those same extraneous factors led emergency room doctors to misdiagnose accidental injuries as abuse in a staggering 83 percent of cases. —Jeff Kukucka, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

misdiagnose

transitive verb

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

misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing

: to diagnose incorrectly