misjudge

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To form a wrong opinion about someone's character or abilities.

   Grammar: Takes an object: misjudge a person. Often used in passive: He was misjudged.

   Patterns

   • misjudge someone
   • misjudge someone's character
   • misjudge someone as something

   I misjudged her at first; she turned out to be very kind.

   Don't misjudge him just because he's quiet.

   The team misjudged their opponent's strength and lost the game.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To guess an amount, distance, or time incorrectly.

   Grammar: Takes an object: misjudge the distance. Can also be intransitive: I misjudged.

   Patterns

   • misjudge the distance
   • misjudge the timing
   • misjudge how far/long something is

   He misjudged the distance and threw the ball too far.

   She misjudged the time and arrived late for the meeting.

   The pilot misjudged the landing and the plane bounced.

Word forms

Common combinations

misjudge someone's character

It's easy to misjudge someone's character from a brief meeting.

misjudge the distance

The golfer misjudged the distance to the hole.

badly misjudge

The government badly misjudged public opinion on the issue.

misjudge the situation

She misjudged the situation and said the wrong thing.

Synonyms and how they differ

underestimate

Focuses on thinking something is smaller or less important than it really is; misjudge is broader and can mean any wrong judgment.

misread

Often used for interpreting signals or situations wrongly; misjudge is more about forming a wrong opinion overall.

Opposites

Word family

misjudgment noun

A wrong opinion or decision.

misjudged adjective

Wrongly assessed; often used of people.

Commonly confused: misjudge or prejudge?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “misjudge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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