Meanings
present singular third person misconsumes · participle present misconsuming · participle past misconsumed · past misconsumed
- 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 1152 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 75Physiologically, 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
- Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
- Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
- Proto-Germanic*missaz
- Proto-Germanic*missa-
- Proto-West Germanic*missa-
- Old Englishmis-
- Middle Englishmys-
- Englishmis-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Latincon-
- Proto-Indo-European*upó
- Proto-Italic*supo
- Latinsub
- Latinsub-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
- Proto-Italic*emō
- Latinemō
- Latinsūmō
- Latincōnsūmō
- Old Frenchconsumer
- Middle Englishconsumen
- Englishconsume
- Englishmisconsume
Cite this entry
misconsume. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misconsume
“misconsume.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misconsume. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misconsume,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misconsume.
Source: misconsume on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.