misidentified
Mistaken for another
Misidentified means wrongly identified—mistaken for someone or something else.
A witness might misidentify a suspect in a lineup.
A bird watcher might misidentify a species.
The body was misidentified, and the wrong family was notified.
The error can be consequential or trivial depending on context.
Incorrectly understood or believed
- misrecognizedIncorrectly identified visually
- confusedUnable to understand
- misconstruedIncorrectly understood another's meaning
- misinterpretedUnderstood incorrectly
misread · misjudged · misattributed · mislabeled · misclassified · misdiagnosed · erroneous · incorrect
One who closely resembles another
- doppelgangerSupernatural duplicate of oneself
- doubleTwice the amount
- twinOne of matched pair
- spitting imageExact likeness of another
dead ringer · carbon copy · resemblance · likeness · body double · stunt double · impersonator · mix-up
Erroneous guilty verdict
- exonerationOfficial clearing of blame
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- false accusationUntrue claim of wrongdoing
- suspectBelieve to be likely
DNA evidence · cold case · police sketch · surveillance footage · innocence project · composite sketch · wrongful arrest
mistaken
Incorrectly understood or believed
- misrecognizedIncorrectly identified visually
- confusedUnable to understand
- misconstruedIncorrectly understood another's meaning
misinterpreted · misread · misjudged · misattributed · mislabeled · misclassified · misdiagnosed · erroneous · incorrect · wrong
lookalike
One who closely resembles another
- doppelgangerSupernatural duplicate of oneself
- doubleTwice the amount
- twinOne of matched pair
spitting image · dead ringer · carbon copy · resemblance · likeness · body double · stunt double · impersonator · mix-up
wrongful conviction
Erroneous guilty verdict
- exonerationOfficial clearing of blame
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- false accusationUntrue claim of wrongdoing
suspect · DNA evidence · cold case · police sketch · surveillance footage · innocence project · composite sketch · wrongful arrest
impostor
One feigning another's identity
incognito · masquerade · pretender · charlatan · faker · phony · deceiver · concealed · camouflaged · undercover
misidentifiedrecognized
Perceived as familiar
verified · confirmed · authenticated · identified · validated
misidentifiedknown
Established as fact
recognized · familiar · established · confirmed · identified