Definition

1. Verb:
   • To label incorrectly: "mislabel" means to assign an incorrect or misleading label, tag, or description to something or someone.
   • To categorize wrongly: It can also mean to identify or classify something in a way that does not match its true nature or characteristics.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The company was fined for mislabeling the expiry dates on its food products. (The company put wrong dates on the labels.)
  • Critics argued that the media mislabeled the protest as a riot. (The media used an incorrect term to describe the event.)
  • Be careful not to mislabel the samples in the laboratory. (Do not assign wrong names or codes to the specimens.)

Advanced Usage

• "to mislabel someone as something": to assign a false identity or characteristic to a person.

  • She was mislabeled as a troublemaker by her teachers. (Her teachers incorrectly described her as causing problems.)

• "deliberately mislabel": to intentionally use a wrong label for deception or fraud.

  • The manufacturer deliberately mislabeled the chemical contents to avoid safety regulations. (The company knowingly used false labels to bypass laws.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mislabeling (n): the act of applying an incorrect label.

  • Mislabeling of pharmaceutical products can be dangerous. (The practice of using wrong labels on medicines poses risks.)

• Mislabeled (adj): having an incorrect label.

  • The mislabeled jars caused confusion in the pantry. (The jars with wrong labels created disorder.)

Synonyms

• Miscategorize: to place something in the wrong group or class.
• Misbrand: to give a false or misleading brand name or trademark.
• Mistag: to attach an incorrect identification tag (often used in digital contexts).

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• Call a spade a spade: to speak plainly and truthfully (the opposite of mislabeling).
  • He always calls a spade a spade, so he would never mislabel a product. (He is direct and honest.)
• Put a label on it: to categorize or describe something (often implying that labels may be inaccurate).
  • It's hard to put a label on their relationship without mislabeling it. (Any attempt to categorize it might be wrong.)