misidentify

verb (used with object), mis·i·den·ti·fied, mis·i·den·ti·fy·ing.

to identify incorrectly.

Origin:
1890–95; mis-¹ + identify

Related forms

mis·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

misidentify

1895, from mis- (1) + identify.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Relevant Questions

00:10

Misidentify is always a great word to know.

So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

Example sentences

Similar patient names can cause caregivers to misidentify patients or mislabel

specimens.

Moreover, they misidentify that cause: it is not poverty as such, but

inequality.

If they misidentify an animal during hunting and end up shooting an illegal

bird or mammal, they can be fined.

In some cases, it will misidentify specific partners within a partner household.

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