Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An error in naming a person or place.
- noun Application of a wrong name.
- noun A name wrongly or unsuitably applied to a person or object.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To designate by a mistaken or unsuitable name; misname.
- noun A misnaming; the act of applying a wrong name or designation.
- noun In law, an error in name; misstatement in a document of the name of a person.
- noun Hence A mistaken name or designation; a misapplied term.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The misnaming of a person in a legal instrument, as in a complaint or indictment; any misnaming of a person or thing; a wrong or inapplicable name or title.
- transitive verb rare To misname.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A use of a term asserted to be
misleading ; amisname . - noun A term asserted to be widely used incorrectly.
- noun A term whose sense in common usage conflicts with a technical sense.
- verb transitive To use a misleading term; to
misname .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an incorrect or unsuitable name
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word misnomer.
Examples
-
Fox News - aka Bush/Cheney/Limpbaugh Bastion of Lies - is a misnomer from the get-go.
-
Give Bush credit for his Aids program in Africa, but his “compassionate conservatism” was a misnomer from the “get go”.
-
The Dion tax “shift” and “revenue neutral” misnomer is now being exposed for every deceitful aspect.
-
The Dion tax “shift” and “revenue neutral” misnomer is now being exposed for every deceitful aspect.
Another Screw In The Green Shaft « Unambiguously Ambidextrous 2008
-
The scientific misnomer is now reduced to a historical (and extremely harmful) moniker of a bygone era.
Comparing Teleological Predictions with their Non-teleological Counterparts 2007
-
Continental ideas on the subject, inclined to think the term a misnomer, and a reflection upon Europe and America.
The Siege of Kimberley T. Phelan
-
_Julius Cæsar_, pronouncing the title a misnomer, on the ground that
The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar William Shakespeare 1590
-
The essay did make the point that the name “greenhouse effect” is a misnomer, which is correct.
Archive 2008-02-01 EliRabett 2008
-
Last year the day was labelled a misnomer, with the majority of motorists ignoring it, although some said they would be willing to try public transport if the system were improved.
-
Calling the term a misnomer, Greenwood says, "there's a misperception that improving a product somehow thwarts generic companies from getting in the game.
GEN News Highlights 2009
tbtabby commented on the word misnomer
What kind of animal is a titmouse?
What country do Panama hats come from?
What color is the red coral of the Mediterranean?
March 2, 2009
sionnach commented on the word misnomer
Well, I know that Panama hats come from Ecuador. I'll leave the other two to greater Wordieminds.
March 2, 2009
dontcry commented on the word misnomer
A titmouse is a bird.
March 2, 2009
plethora commented on the word misnomer
Red coral is actually red. Sometimes pink.
March 2, 2009
looftma commented on the word misnomer
a cute nice dog, named killer, is a misnomer.
September 28, 2010
yarb commented on the word misnomer
...unless it's a cute nice dog which kills.
September 29, 2010
NUTZFORdBUCKS commented on the word misnomer
Class 3 weapons are a misnomer. They are Class 2 weapons that you purchase from a Class 3 dealer.
May 6, 2012