mistaken

[mi-stey-kuhn] / mɪˈsteɪ kən /

ADJECTIVE

having made a mistake; wrong

Synonyms

STRONGEST

confounded confused deceived deluded duped fooled misguided misinformed misinterpreting misjudging misled tricked

STRONG

erroneous false faulty illogical inaccurate inappropriate incorrect misconstrued unfounded untrue unwarranted wrong

WEAK

all wet at fault barking up wrong tree confused with fallacious ill-advised off base off-track sadly mistaken unadvised under wrong impression unreal unsound way-off wide of mark wrong number wrongly identified

Antonyms

STRONGEST

accurate correct honest right substantiated true valid

WEAK

exact fair just precise sound

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Zoologists believe the animal decayed for weeks before it was fossilised and this led to the case of mistaken identity.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Improved camera angles make it clearer when officials are mistaken.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Okrent never met Sondheim, he tells us, but he had some near misses: He sat near the composer in the theater on more than one occasion and was even mistaken for him.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

In the heart of Sao Paulo, a "prisonometer" keeps a live tally of people jailed due to Latin America's largest AI facial-recognition system, but its successes have been marred by mistaken arrests.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

This is called “burying your head in the sand,” and the expression comes from a widely held but mistaken belief about ostriches.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Vocabulary lists containing mistaken

Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"

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"Fear" and "Violence Hits Home"

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Power Suffix: -en

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