What does misadjust mean?
Misadjust means to adjust something incorrectly. The word is especially appropriate when a person, machine, or process changes a setting, position, calibration, or alignment in the wrong way. A technician might misadjust a valve, a photographer might misadjust the focus on a camera, or a mechanism might be misadjusted during installation. The verb is relatively uncommon and has a technical, diagnostic tone, but it can also be used figuratively when discussing systems or decisions that have been set up imperfectly. Its meaning is narrower than that of a general mistake: the problem lies specifically in an incorrect adjustment. Although the word can sound dramatic, it often describes errors that are small yet consequential, such as a slight misalignment or an incorrect calibration. Misadjustment is the corresponding noun, while misadjusted and misadjusting are its other standard grammatical forms.
verbTo adjust something incorrectly, especially a setting, mechanism, or alignment.
- To adjust something incorrectly or set it to the wrong position, value, or configuration.
"A poorly installed lever was misadjusted during the final inspection."
"The technician misadjusted the valve, causing the pressure to fluctuate."
"Misadjusting the camera's focus produced an unexpectedly blurred image."
Add one negative prefix to adjust, and an otherwise helpful correction becomes the opposite: a misadjustment can undo the very alignment it was meant to refine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misadjust come from?
Misadjust was formed in English by combining the negative prefix mis- with the older word adjust. The verb adjust entered Middle English from Old French adjuster, ultimately from Latin ad- and iustus, meaning “right” or “just.” The same Latin foundation appears in words such as justice and justify.
Related word forms
How misadjust is actually used
This is a relatively uncommon, formal word, used chiefly in technical, mechanical, scientific, or diagnostic contexts. It is more specific than simply making a mistake, because the error concerns the adjustment or alignment of something.
Easily confused with misadjust
To misadjust is to set or align something incorrectly, whereas to miscalculate is to arrive at an incorrect numerical result.
To misadjust concerns a specific physical or mechanical setting, while mismanagement generally concerns the ineffective handling of a broader process or responsibility.