misjudge
B2Neutral to formal; common in both spoken and written language.
Definition
Meaning
To form an incorrect or unfair opinion or conclusion about someone or something.
To estimate or assess a situation, person's character, amount, distance, or timing wrongly.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Involves an error in judgment, often implying a lack of sufficient information, bias, or poor calculation. Can refer to moral character, physical measurements, or situational outcomes.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The verb is used identically.
Connotations
Identical connotations of error and poor assessment.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP ___ NP (He misjudged the distance)NP ___ (I apologise, I misjudged)NP ___ wh-clause (She misjudged how angry he was)Passive: NP be misjudged (His intentions were misjudged)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To misjudge the book by its cover (variant of 'don't judge a book by its cover')”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Often used regarding market trends, investment risks, or a colleague's capabilities. 'The board misjudged the level of consumer demand.'
Academic
Used in discussing historical analysis, scientific hypotheses, or statistical interpretations. 'The researcher misjudged the significance of the correlation.'
Everyday
Common in discussing social interactions, travel time, or personal decisions. 'I misjudged how long the journey would take.'
Technical
Can appear in engineering (misjudging tolerances), sports (misjudging a ball's trajectory), or driving (misjudging a gap).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I'm afraid I misjudged the traffic and arrived terribly late.
- One should not misjudge a person's character based on a single meeting.
American English
- The pitcher misjudged the fly ball and it went for a home run.
- I think you're misjudging how much time this project will need.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I misjudged the time and missed my bus.
- She misjudged him and thought he was unfriendly.
- The company misjudged the market and lost a lot of money.
- Don't misjudge the distance when you park the car.
- Critics accused the government of seriously misjudging the public mood.
- He had completely misjudged the political implications of his statement.
- Historians argue that the general misjudged the enemy's capacity to regroup.
- Her seemingly harsh critique was born of a misjudged attempt to be helpful.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: MIS (wrong) + JUDGE (to form an opinion). You judge wrongly.
Conceptual Metaphor
JUDGMENT IS MEASUREMENT (to misjudge is to measure incorrectly).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque with '*недооценивать*' or '*переоценивать*' (under/overestimate), as 'misjudge' is broader. It is closer to '*ошибиться в оценке*' or '*неправильно понять*'. The prefix 'mis-' does not correspond directly to a Russian prefix.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'misjudge' when 'misunderstand' (a spoken message) is meant. Confusing 'misjudge' with 'prejudice' (which involves pre-formed bias). Incorrect spelling: 'misjudge' (correct) vs. 'misjudge' (incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'misjudge' used CORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The noun is 'misjudgment' (also spelled 'misjudgement' in British English).
Yes. You can misjudge a person's character, but also misjudge a distance, a timing, a situation, or an amount.
'Misjudge' is broader and means to form any wrong judgment. 'Underestimate' is more specific, meaning to judge something as less than it actually is (e.g., in ability, amount, or difficulty).
It is neutral. It is appropriate in formal writing (e.g., reports, analysis) but is also very common in everyday spoken language.
Explore