Meaning & use
mislabel
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To put a wrong or misleading label on something.
Grammar: Takes an object: mislabel a product. Often used in passive: The package was mislabeled.
Patterns
- mislabel something
- mislabel something as something
- be mislabeled
The company mislabeled the bottles, causing a recall.
Some foods are mislabeled as 'organic' when they are not.
The map mislabels several streets in the old town.
verbtransitive
To describe or categorize someone or something incorrectly.
Grammar: Takes an object: mislabel a group. Often followed by 'as': mislabel someone as a troublemaker.
Patterns
- mislabel someone as something
- mislabel a group
- mislabel an idea
The media mislabeled the protest as a riot.
He felt that his generation had been mislabeled as lazy.
The study was mislabeled as pseudoscience by critics.
Word forms
| third person singular | mislabels |
|---|---|
| past tense | mislabeled |
| past participle | mislabeled |
| -ing form | mislabeling |
Common combinations
- mislabel a product
- The factory mislabeled a batch of medicine.
- mislabel something as something
- They mislabeled the painting as a copy.
- deliberately mislabel
- The seller deliberately mislabeled the goods to avoid taxes.
- mislabel a file
- I mislabeled the file and couldn't find it later.
Synonyms and how they differ
- miscategorize
- Means to put into the wrong category; mislabel is more about the label or description itself.
- misrepresent
- Means to describe falsely, often intentionally; mislabel can be accidental.
Opposites
Word family
- mislabeling noun
- The act of putting a wrong label.
- mislabeled adjective
- Having a wrong label.
Commonly confused: mislabel or mislaid?
mislabel vs mislaid
Mislaid means lost temporarily; mislabel means given a wrong label.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'The jar was ___ as containing honey, but it was actually syrup.'
Choose one answer.
The passive voice 'was mislabeled' is correct because the jar received the action. 'Mislabeling' would need a form of 'be' and an object, and 'mislabel' is base form, which doesn't fit after 'was'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mislabel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.