mistakenly

/mɪˈsteɪkənli/ (bre, ipa) · /mɪˈsteɪkənli/ (ame, ipa)

mistakenly — 副詞

1. because of an incorrect belief, a wrong judgement, or an unintended action — not

1.副詞B1
釋義

錯誤地

因判斷或認知錯誤而做出某行為

because of an incorrect belief, a wrong judgement, or an unintended action — not because the person meant to be wrong

例句

Tara mistakenly poured salt into her coffee instead of sugar at breakfast.

Tara 早餐時錯誤地把鹽倒進咖啡裡，而不是糖。

mistakenly + action verb describing an unintended physical error

The library staff mistakenly believed that the rare book had been returned last Tuesday.

圖書館人員錯誤地認為那本珍貴的書上週二已經歸還了。

collocation: mistakenly believe / assume / think (cognitive verbs)

同義詞
  • wrongly

    broader; can also mean 'in a way that is morally wrong', while 'mistakenly' focuses on factual error or unintended action

  • erroneously

    more formal; common in academic, legal, or technical writing

  • incorrectly

    narrower; usually about answers, procedures, or results being inaccurate rather than beliefs

  • inadvertently

    emphasises lack of intention more than the error itself; useful when the action was unintentional rather than based on a wrong belief

反義詞
  • correctly

    the most direct opposite when the action or belief turns out to be right

  • deliberately

    opposite in intent — done on purpose rather than by error or accident

  • intentionally

    opposite in intent; pairs with the same verbs (assumed, identified, sent)

文法句型

mistakenly + verb

mistakenly believe / assume / think / identify

用法筆記

Frequently modifies cognitive verbs (believe, assume, think, identify) when the speaker wants to mark that the belief or recognition turned out to be wrong; also pairs with action verbs (send, take, pour) for unintended physical errors. Position is typically before the main verb.

常見錯誤

❌He acted mistakenly to the news.
✅He mistakenly reacted to the news as if it were urgent.
💡'mistakenly' modifies the verb describing the wrong action; it does not stand alone after a verb like 'acted'.
❌The decision was mistakenly.
✅The decision was made mistakenly.' or 'The decision was wrong.
💡'mistakenly' is an adverb, not an adjective; pair it with a verb, not a linking 'be'.