misidentify
verb
mis·iden·ti·fy
ˌmis-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī 
-ə-ˈden-
misidentified; misidentifying
: to identify (someone or something) incorrectly
… a coroner apparently misidentified the bullet he removed from the victim, stating that its caliber differed from that of the bullet entered as evidence against the known shooter.—
David Fisher
David FisherWhile examining the American Museum's collection, I came across a mongoose specimen that was clearly misidentified.—W. Chris Wozencraft
W. Chris WozencraftExamples of misidentify in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The other three generally struggled to identify plastics and, in some cases, would even misidentify shadows as trash.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2024
But soon, a group of preppy teens misidentifies them as murderers in a comedy-horror send-up of the genre.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024
Their euphoria over the pending sale is short-lived, though, after an anonymous caller demands millions to stay quiet about a discrepancy in the software’s accuracy, which shows greater likelihood that the software will misidentify people of color.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2024
However, studies show that Clearview and other leading algorithms are more likely to misidentify people of color, women, and the elderly than white men.
—Byandrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misidentify 
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Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2024
But soon, a group of preppy teens misidentifies them as murderers in a comedy-horror send-up of the genre.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024
Their euphoria over the pending sale is short-lived, though, after an anonymous caller demands millions to stay quiet about a discrepancy in the software’s accuracy, which shows greater likelihood that the software will misidentify people of color.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2024
However, studies show that Clearview and other leading algorithms are more likely to misidentify people of color, women, and the elderly than white men.
—Byandrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misidentify
Dictionary Entries Near misidentify
Cite this Entry
“Misidentify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misidentify. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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