misconsume

M3I1S1C3O1N1S1U1M3E1

verb

To consume in an incorrect manner; to consume the wrong amount, the wrong things, or at the wrong place or time.

Scrabble 16

Meanings

verbmisconsume (third-person singular simple present misconsumes, present participle misconsuming, simple past and past participle misconsumed)

present singular third person misconsumes · participle present misconsuming · participle past misconsumed · past misconsumed

  1. To consume in an incorrect manner; to consume the wrong amount, the wrong things, or at the wrong place or time.

    Lovelock, for example, suggests the term “jaycustomers" to label customers who “misconsume” in a manner similar to jaywalkers who cross streets in unauthorized places.

    1996, Christopher H. Lovelock, Services marketing, page 115
    2 more examples

    On the other hand, an individual or a juridical person who treads the right economic path, who does not misconsume by spending on it beyond the median consumption of the members of the Social Organism, and who does not misinvest, will be liable to pay no tax at all.

    1999, Gautam Mathur, B. Satyanarayan, Essays in Political Economy, page 75

    Physiologically, humans misconsume when they eat too much in a sitting or over a lifetime or when they become addicted to a drug. The long-term burden overwhelms the immediate gratification. Psychologically, humans misconsume when, for example, they fall into the advertiser's trap of "perpetual dissatisfaction."

    2002, Thomas Princen, Michael Maniates, Ken Conca, Confronting Consumption, page 33

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  3. Proto-Germanic*missaz
  4. Proto-Germanic*missa-
  5. Proto-West Germanic*missa-
  6. Old Englishmis-
  7. Middle Englishmys-
  8. Englishmis-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  10. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  11. Proto-Italic*kom
  12. Proto-Italic*kom-
  13. Latincon-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  15. Proto-Italic*supo
  16. Latinsub
  17. Latinsub-
  18. Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
  19. Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
  20. Proto-Italic*emō
  21. Latinemō
  22. Latinsūmō
  23. Latincōnsūmō
  24. Old Frenchconsumer
  25. Middle Englishconsumen
  26. Englishconsume
  27. Englishmisconsume

From mis- + consume.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

misconsume. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misconsume

MLA

“misconsume.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misconsume. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misconsume,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misconsume.

Source: misconsume on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.