misjudge

/ˈmɪsˌdʒʌdʒ/

Other forms: misjudged; misjudging; misjudges

When you misjudge someone, you have mistaken ideas about what they're like. Politicians who misjudge their constituents aren't often reelected.

If you've ever found yourself jumping to conclusions about someone after meeting them once, and then realizing they aren't the way you thought they were, you know what it is to misjudge someone. If a tennis player misjudges her opponent, she's likely to miss an unexpected shot and lose the match. When you judge, you form an opinion about someone or something. Now add the "bad or wrong" prefix mis-, and you've got misjudge.

Definitions of misjudge

1. verb

   judge incorrectly
   types:

   underestimate, underrate

   make too low an estimate of

   overestimate, overrate

   make too high an estimate of

   miscalculate, misestimate

   judge incorrectly

   sell short

   underestimate the real value or ability of

   overcapitalise, overcapitalize

   overestimate the market value of

   type of:

   err, mistake, slip

   make a mistake or be incorrect