mistarget
Hit unintended mark
To mistarget is to aim at or direct toward the wrong recipient or objective.
The term appears most often in contexts of advertising, military operations, or policy: The campaign mistargeted younger demographics who had no interest in the product.
A mistargeted email goes to the wrong person; a mistargeted missile strikes unintended coordinates.
Failure to discharge
- overshootGo beyond intended point
- undershootMiss by insufficient reach
- wideOf great breadth
- strayWander from course
misaim · off-course · deviation · misalign · imprecision · miscalculate · misestimate · errant
Cause false belief
- misguideLead in wrong direction
- misrouteSend off course
- divertCause to change course
- deflectTurn from course
lead astray · astray · redirect · reroute · misaddress · misplace · misallocate · misorient
Name incorrectly
- miscategorizeLabel under wrong type
- misclassifyCategorize something incorrectly
- mismatchIncompatible combination
- wrong audienceUnintended or unsuitable recipients
misfire
Failure to discharge
- overshootGo beyond intended point
- undershootMiss by insufficient reach
- wideOf great breadth
stray · misaim · off-course · deviation · misalign · imprecision · miscalculate · misestimate · errant · wayward
mislead
Cause false belief
deflect · lead astray · astray · redirect · reroute · misaddress · misplace · misallocate · misorient · mischannel
misidentify
Name incorrectly
- miscategorizeLabel under wrong type
- misclassifyCategorize something incorrectly
- mismatchIncompatible combination
mistargethit the mark
Achieve intended result
pinpoint · lock on · zero in on · zero in · home in