What does miscalled mean?
Miscalled means to call or refer to something by a name or description that is incorrect, or, in adjectival use, to describe something that has been wrongly named or labeled. The expression “miscalled as” is particularly common: a writer may say that a policy has been miscalled as a tax, that a novel has been miscalled as a memoir, or that a practice has been miscalled as dishonest. The word usually implies that the error has become established or was made by someone with a responsibility to know better. Consequently, it can suggest not merely a harmless mistake but a failure of judgment, discrimination, or knowledge. Miscalled occurs in both formal and informal English and is not restricted to one region. Its usefulness lies in its ability to distinguish an inaccurate label from the thing itself: the object remains as it is, while the name or description attributed to it has been mistaken.
To call or refer to someone or something by the wrong name or designation.
"The report miscalled the proposal a private tax."
Normally transitive; it is especially idiomatic with “as” followed by the incorrect designation.
Incorrectly named, labeled, or described.
"The director has defended the much-miscalled film against claims that it glorifies violence."
Often appears before a noun as a participial adjective.
To miscall a thing is to make its identity a matter of error rather than description.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of miscalled
Miscalled was formed in English by combining the prefix mis-, meaning wrongly, with call. Call ultimately comes through Middle English from Latin callare, meaning to call or summon. Many English words, including recall, declaim, reclaim, and proclaim, continue the same Latin verbal root through different prefixes and semantic developments.
Related word forms
How miscalled is actually used
The word is common in formal and informal English and often carries a mildly critical or corrective tone. The construction “miscalled as” is especially idiomatic when the incorrect designation is stated explicitly.
Easily confused with miscalled
Misnamed focuses specifically on the use of the wrong name, whereas miscalled can also cover a wrong description, label, or designation.