misguided
Led astray, erring
Misguided describes actions or beliefs based on faulty judgment or wrong assumptions: a misguided attempt to help, misguided policies.
The word implies good intentions gone astray—someone misguided isn't malicious, just mistaken about the right course.
It often carries a note of condescension: calling someone misguided suggests you know better.
Lacking sound judgment
- ill-advisedShowing poor judgment
- imprudentLacking careful forethought
- injudiciousShowing poor judgment
- shortsightedUnable to see ahead
ill-conceived · misconceived · foolhardy · reckless · rash · thoughtless · ill-considered · senseless
Incorrectly understood or believed
- wrongContrary to fact
- incorrectNot accurate or true
- falseNot matching reality
- misinformedGiven incorrect facts
unfounded · baseless · fallacious · inaccurate · untrue · misconstrued · distorted · misunderstood
Unable to navigate
- astrayOff the right path
- errantDeviating from proper course
- misdirectedSent the wrong way
- off-courseDeviating from intended path
off-track · derailed · sidetracked · stray · deviant · aberrant · straying · erring
Free from moral wrong
- gullibleEasily deceived
- trustingInclined to believe others
- credulousProne to blind trust
- inexperiencedLacking practical knowledge
unsophisticated · unworldly · impressionable · idealistic · well-meaning · earnest · sincere · starry-eyed
unwise
Lacking sound judgment
- ill-advisedShowing poor judgment
- imprudentLacking careful forethought
- injudiciousShowing poor judgment
shortsighted · ill-conceived · misconceived · foolhardy · reckless · rash · thoughtless · ill-considered · senseless · ill-judged
mistaken
Incorrectly understood or believed
misinformed · unfounded · baseless · fallacious · inaccurate · untrue · misconstrued · distorted · misunderstood · flawed
lost
Unable to navigate
- astrayOff the right path
- errantDeviating from proper course
- misdirectedSent the wrong way
off-course · off-track · derailed · sidetracked · stray · deviant · aberrant · straying · erring
innocent
Free from moral wrong
inexperienced · unsophisticated · unworldly · impressionable · idealistic · well-meaning · earnest · sincere · starry-eyed · quixotic
- foolishfoolish, stupid, dumb, brainless, witless
- misunderstandingsmisunderstanding, misinterpretation, misconception, misreading, miscommunication
- Off Tracklost, detour, tangent, sidetrack, digression
- at faultguilty, at fault, to blame, culpable, blameworthy
- idealisticidealist, idealistic, utopian, quixotic, dreamer
- off targetoff target, off-target, off the mark, wide of the mark, wide
misguidedwise
Showing good judgment
sensible · sound · judicious · prudent · reasonable
misguidedaware
Having knowledge of
informed · enlightened · clear-eyed · clear-sighted · knowing
misguide, misguidance, misguidedly, misguides, misguiding, misguidedness