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

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

Heat effectively soothes the symptoms, but the long-term cure is cutting off cannabis use. Between the lines: CHS remains misdiagnosed and misunderstood, largely due to the lack of a specific diagnostic code for medical providers. —Axios Denver, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024

Although Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia globally, current diagnostic approaches misdiagnose more than one in four people. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Halle Berry started advocating for better treatment and research for menopause after being misdiagnosed with herpes. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 18 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