miswant

M3I1S1W4A1N1T1

verb

To want (something) even though it will probably lead to one's own harm or unhappiness (e.g. an addictive drug).

OriginEnglish want ← Middle English mys- ← Old English mis- →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

verbmiswant (third-person singular simple present miswants, present participle miswanting, simple past and past participle miswanted)

present singular third person miswants · participle present miswanting · participle past miswanted · past miswanted

  1. transitiveTo want (something) even though it will probably lead to one's own harm or unhappiness (e.g. an addictive drug).

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. Englishwant
  10. Englishmiswant

From mis- + want.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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