misplaced
misplaced — adjective
1. aimed at the wrong person or thing, or unsuitable for what is happening
aimed at the wrong person or thing, or unsuitable for what is happening
Liam's misplaced anger fell on the nurse instead of the rude driver.
collocation: misplaced anger
The report ended with a misplaced joke about layoffs and debt.
collocation: misplaced joke or remark
Min kept a misplaced loyalty to the coach who had lied.
After the leak, applause for the manager felt badly misplaced.
- inappropriate
broader and more neutral; often focuses on social suitability
- ill-judged
stresses poor judgment behind the action or feeling
- unwarranted
suggests there is no good reason for the feeling or reaction
- appropriate
fits the situation or occasion
- justified
has a good reason or proper target
文法句型
misplaced anger
misplaced trust
misplaced loyalty
用法筆記
Often used with feelings or judgments such as anger, trust, sympathy, and confidence. It can also describe a joke, remark, or reaction that feels wrong for the moment.
常見錯誤
misplaced — verb
1. to put something where it does not belong or where it cannot be used correctly
to put something where it does not belong or where it cannot be used correctly
Eli misplaced the serving spoon in the dessert drawer before dinner.
put an object in the wrong drawer
The clerk misplaced the visa form under the train schedules.
misplaced a document in filing
A single misplaced decimal turned the school budget into nonsense.
One photo was misplaced in the sports section of the yearbook.
Christopher misplaced the museum labels, so the fossils got wrong names.
- file correctly
puts a document or record in the right category
- return
puts something back where it belongs
- place properly
stresses correct position or arrangement
文法句型
misplaced the file
misplaced a decimal point
misplaced the labels
用法筆記
This sense focuses on putting something in an incorrect position or category. Unlike the next sense, it does not mainly stress the later moment when you cannot find the item.
常見錯誤
2. to put something down and later be unable to remember where it is
to put something down and later be unable to remember where it is
Tunde misplaced his locker key after swimming and missed the bus.
misplaced a key and cannot find it
Amihan had misplaced the recipe card by the time guests arrived.
We misplaced the TV remote, so Grandpa changed channels by hand.
Rachid thought he had misplaced the tickets, but they were upstairs.
By noon, the office had misplaced three signed delivery slips.
- mislay
very close in meaning and slightly more formal in tone
- lose
broader and can sound more final than misplaced
- leave behind
suggests the speaker forgot the item in a specific place
- forget
describes the memory failure itself rather than the missing object
- find
means locating the missing item again
- keep track of
stresses knowing where something is at all times
- put away
focuses on storing something carefully in its proper place
文法句型
misplaced my keys
misplaced the tickets
misplaced a recipe card
用法筆記
Usually used for things you expect to turn up again, such as keys, passes, glasses, or paperwork. It stresses temporary loss of track rather than permanent loss.
常見錯誤
3. to direct feelings, trust, blame, or hope toward the wrong person or outcome
to direct feelings, trust, blame, or hope toward the wrong person or outcome
Sahil misplaced his trust in the broker who hid the fees.
misplaced trust in [person]
The crowd misplaced its anger on the driver, not the owner.
misplaced anger on the wrong person
Mauricio misplaced his hopes on one exam and ignored the course.
The board misplaced its confidence in a plan with no backup.
Cyrus misplaced the blame on interns after the server patch failed.
- direct wisely
aims a feeling or judgment at the right target
- place correctly
gives trust, blame, or hope to the proper person or thing
文法句型
misplaced trust in
misplaced blame on
misplaced confidence in
用法筆記
The object is normally a feeling, judgment, or expectation rather than a physical thing. It is used when the reaction or belief is pointed at the wrong target.