misguided

adjective

1. 1

   Of a person: lacking proper guidance; misled or mistaken in one's actions or thinking.

   But I truſt I ſhall have ſpoken Perſvvaſion to abundance of ſenſible and ingenuous Men; […] to ſtay theſe ruinous Proceedings, juſtly and timely fearing to vvhat a Precipice of Deſtruction the deluge of this epidemic Madneſs vvould hurry us, through the general defection of a miſguided and abus'd Multitude.

   An ambitious, or rather a miſguided, prince aroſe, vvho deemed all theſe privileges to be conceſſions of his predeceſſors, revokeable at pleaſure; and, in proſecution of this principle, he openly acted in violation of liberty, during the courſe of ſeveral years.

   Douglas looked on the body of the misguided youth, whose wild passions and caprices had brought him to this fatal and premature catastrophe.

   [W]here in her theatrical character she was to sup off a roast fowl (O joy to Barbara!) some comic actor, who was for the night caterer for this dainty—in the misguided humour of his part, threw over the dish such a quantity of salt (O grief and pain of heart to Barbara!) that when he crammed a portion of it into her mouth, she was obliged sputteringly to reject it; […]

2. 2

   Of a plan, policy, etc.: not properly planned or thought through; ill-conceived.

   I believe in freedom of movement and view the current government's restrictive attitude as both socially and economically misguided. Yet I fear that a special London policy will only exacerbate existing divisions.

3. 3

   obsoleteOf a government, etc.: mismanaged, misruled.

4. 4

   obsoleteOf a person: behaving badly; immoral.

   Fred[erick]. Traytor, doſt dravv upon thy Prince? / Cur[tius]. Your Pardon Sir, I meant it on a Raviſher. / A foul miſguided Villain. / One that ſcarce merits the brave name of Man. / One that betrays his friend, forſakes his VVife; / And vvould commit a Rape upon my Miſtreſs.

5. 5

   obsoletePoorly educated or trained.

   Select, also, and trail to the wall, a few scions from the old remaining branches, as an autumn supply—say one to every foot, and placed as if in fan-training. Thus misguided apple and pear-trees may be recovered in a very few years.

verb

1. 1

   Also a form of misguidesimple past and past participle of misguide

Forms

comparative

more misguided

superlative

most misguided