What does misjudge mean?
To misjudge is to make an incorrect assessment of a person, situation, quantity, or possibility. The error may involve reading someone’s character badly, estimating how much time or space is available, or overlooking signs that should have changed a decision. “Misjudge” is especially common when someone acts on an imperfect impression and subsequently regrets it. It is more forceful than simply being “wrong,” because it implies that judgment or estimation was involved. For example, a driver may misjudge the distance to another vehicle, while a manager may misjudge how long a task will take. The word is neutral in register and is used in both formal and informal English. Its past tense is “misjudged,” its present participle is “misjudging,” and the related noun is spelled “misjudgement” in British usage or “misjudgment” in American usage.
verbTo form an incorrect judgment or assessment of someone or something.
- To judge or assess incorrectly.
"We underestimated the difficulty of the climb and badly misjudged the remaining distance."
"The judge misjudged the force of the punch and awarded the wrong decision."
"She misjudged her opponent and underestimated how quickly the situation could change."
A misjudgement is often a guess remembered as a fact.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misjudge come from?
The word combines the prefix “mis-,” meaning wrongly or incorrectly, with “judge.” “Judge” comes through Old French “juge” from Latin “judex,” meaning a person who pronounces a judgment. The same Latin root appears in related English words such as “adjudicate,” “adjourn,” and “judicial,” while “prejudge” was formed in a parallel way with the prefix “pre-”.
Related word forms
How misjudge is actually used
The word is commonly transitive, as in “misjudge a person” or “misjudge the distance,” but it can also be used intransitively. British English usually uses the spelling “misjudgement,” while American English generally uses “misjudgment.”
Easily confused with misjudge
To prejudge is to form an opinion in advance of the relevant evidence, whereas to misjudge is to assess something and reach the wrong conclusion.