misrecognize

M3I1S1R1E1C3O1G2N1I1Z10E1

verb

To recognize in error

OriginEnglish recognize ← Middle English mys- ← Old English mis- →
Scrabble 26
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Meanings

verbmisrecognize (third-person singular simple present misrecognizes, present participle misrecognizing, simple past and past participle misrecognized)

present singular third person misrecognizes · participle present misrecognizing · participle past misrecognized · past misrecognized · alternative misrecognise

  1. computingTo recognize in error

    This process of misrecognizing one's self in the image in the mirror creates the ego, the entity that says 'I.'

    2006, Mary Klages, Literary Theory, →ISBN, page 80
  2. human sciencesTo deliberately fail to recognize, or pretend to do so

    When people did participate in blat practice, they misrecognized their actions through narratives of friendship (Ledeneva 2003:12).

    2007, Carolyn L. Hsu, Creating Market Socialism, →ISBN, page 151

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. Englishrecognize
  10. Englishmisrecognize

From mis- + recognize.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

misrecognize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misrecognize

MLA

“misrecognize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misrecognize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misrecognize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misrecognize.

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