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to misalign

to misalign

4 6.7
To put parts in the wrong position so they do not line up
  • verb
  • /ˌmɪsəˈlaɪn/
translation icon : desalinear
  • If you misalign the pieces during assembly, the final product won't fit properly.
  • misaligned practices

And if your actions are misaligned with your words, then you faltered.

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Examples

  • Instructors' lack of pedagogical knowledge has caused misaligned practices.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The non-mention of the 47% proves the debate was misaligned with social media as a medium.

    Blog text (7)
  • Is your center of gravity misaligned?

  • However, incentives that were misaligned with the primary goal resulted in less effort directed toward the primary goal.

    Academic text (2001)
  • I woke up, and to be frank, my jaw was misaligned on both jaw joints.

    Blog text (6)
  • Don't be surprised if, in this version, some pixels look misaligned or out of place.

    Blog text (2)
  • Misaligned incentives and overutilization in the healthcare system do not affect only the way providers behave.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I might suggest attempting to build a tower with blocks that are so deliberately misaligned that it teeters and totters.

    Academic text (2001)
  • It's true our temperaments turned out to be grossly misaligned.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • In reality, collaborative technologies are often misapplied and misaligned as a result of misinterpretation or nonconsultation of well-established psychological and instructional groundings.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

to offset
vsto misalign
9 4.5

To place something so it is not in line with another part

is about wrong relative positioning rather than intentional spacing or shift
to dislocate
vsto misalign
4 5.7

To move something from its normal place and make it stop working or fitting

is placing items incorrectly without implying removal or loss of function

Antonyms

483 1.0

To make something right by fixing a mistake

89 3.5

To put things in a straight line or in the correct position

How Aligned

to align
89 3.5
to misalign
4 6.7
to skew
9 4.8

Surface Forms

misalign infinitive
misaligned past
misaligned past participle
misaligning present participle
misaligns third person singular

Morphology

misalign = align (transparent) = mis + align

The prefix 'mis-' (wrongly/incorrectly) attaches to the verb 'align' producing the predictable meaning 'to arrange improperly'.

Etymology

Misalign is made of mis- meaning 'wrong' or 'not' and align from a root meaning 'line' or 'make straight', so it literally means 'not in line'. That's why to misalign something is to place it 'out of line' or 'not straight', which can make machines or doors stop working properly.