misguided

adjective

mis·​guid·​ed (ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd 

: led or prompted by wrong or inappropriate motives or ideals

well-meaning but misguided do-gooders

misguidedly

(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-lē 

adverb

misguidedness

(ˌ)mis-ˈgī-dəd-nəs 

noun

Examples of misguided in a Sentence

She's been getting a lot of bad advice from misguided friends.

He blames the crisis on the government's misguided economic policies.

a misguided attempt to help

Recent Examples on the Web

The aftermath of their breakup, including fallout from his misguided decision to repeatedly talk about their relationship in the press, has played out in the two years since. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026

Big Mistakes follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Ortega), two deeply incapable siblings who are in over their heads when a misguided theft for their dying grandmother accidentally pulls them into the world of organized crime. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2026

Researchers and clinicians are more accepting of the idea that the common understanding of PCOS is misguided. —Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 1 Apr. 2026

Uthmeier’s misguided crusade is particularly ironic. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1500, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misguided

• abided
• collided
• confided
• decided
• derided
• divided
• elided
• lopsided
• nitrided
• presided
• provided
• resided