MISPLACED Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

misplaced 1 of 2

adjective

as in missing

no longer possessed we eventually found the misplaced tickets in his coat pocket

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misplaced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of misplace

as in lost

to be unable to find or have at hand I seem to have misplaced my keys

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of misplaced

Adjective

The 30-year-old connected on a misplaced sinker in Friday’s seventh inning, driving the pitch over Fenway Park’s large centre-field wall. — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 25 July 2026 Completed last month, the building can be viewed either as a bold statement of athletic ambition or a monument to misplaced priorities. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026 When something’s off (like a misplaced comma or wrong code), the claim gets kicked back, and either the patient or the doctor eats the cost. — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 22 July 2026 Focus on one room or tidy misplaced items—small wins ease overwhelm and boost motivation. — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 16 July 2026 Expect silly errors, misplaced paperwork, delays and equipment breakdowns. — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 July 2026 The fear that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, established in Ethiopia, would reign supreme after Ethiopia deregulated the largest telecommunications market proved misplaced. — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Kaishu Sano stole a misplaced pass at midfield and took it down the field before a right-footed shot from above the half circle put Japan ahead in the 29th minute. — Kristie Rieken, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026 If these prices hold, and possibly go even lower , this should provide a huge relief on the inflation front in the coming months — and that could mean current projections for a potential Fed rate hike later this year prove misplaced. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 21 June 2026

Verb

Even if these items aren’t stolen, they can be easily misplaced and left behind. — Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026 Gu-cheon is arrogant, conspicuously misplaced in the palace hierarchy, and in some sneaky ways, dryly funny, in stark contrast to co-star Roh Yoon Seo’s more determined, earnest portrayal of court lady Saeng Gang. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The plaintiffs argue O’Leary’s focus on Kanter and Finlayson was misplaced. — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 17 July 2026 Perhaps subsequent history shows that his generosity of spirit was misplaced. — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 And while those depictions may have been more accurate at the time, the emphasis often felt misplaced. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026 Who among us hasn’t misplaced a credit card and not noticed it until someone racked up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges? — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 June 2026 Avoid anything with a lot of parts and pieces that the original owners could have potentially misplaced. — Heather Bien, Martha Stewart, 7 June 2026 Once the whiskey was flowing, Louanne burned the chicken and Dean misplaced his appetite. — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misplaced

Adjective

As an episodic series, across the first several episodes, Anna investigates a murder, a bank robbery and a missing girl.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
In Season 2, a boxer on the rise named Danny Moon (Jin Ha) hires Sugar to find his missing, wayward brother, Ji-Seok (Raymond Lee).

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of missing

Verb

All of them are concerned with legacy, particularly among fathers and daughters (Shakespeare had two and lost his only son), and all of them touch a realm beyond the mundane — a place of gods and dreams, oracles and enchantment.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
Demuth narrowly lost her party’s endorsement to Qualls at the GOP state convention in Duluth in May.

— Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of lost

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misplace

misplaced

misplacement

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“Misplaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misplaced. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of misplaced

adjective

verb

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