misalign

American

[mis-uh-lahyn] / ˌmɪs əˈlaɪn /

verb (used with object)

to adjust or align improperly or badly: Too often we misalign our actions with our values.

Stiff back muscles can pull and misalign vertebrae.
Too often we misalign our actions with our values.

verb (used without object)

to become improperly or badly aligned; fall out of line or position.

I see how the system sometimes misaligns and causes unintended problems.

Other Word Forms

misalignment noun

Etymology

Origin of misalign

First recorded in 1905–10; mis- ¹ ( def. ) + align ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Flutter said that its investment phasing was misaligned with sports results in the quarter and that lower spending levels coincided with periods of bookmaker-friendly results.

From The Wall Street Journal

If misaligned, they are more likely to cause glare.

From BBC

In particular, it has focused on preventing those it believes are posed by more advanced frontier systems, such as them becoming misaligned with human values, misused in areas such as conflict or too powerful.

From BBC

“On this one issue, I don’t think we could be more misaligned.”

From Los Angeles Times

The result is a market in which preferences are private, incentives are misaligned and reliable information is hard to come by.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023