misnomer

/mɪsˈnəʊmə/

Group 1Difficulty 1/3

Definition

(noun)
A wrong or inaccurate name or designation
GRE

Example in Context

Calling the conflict a 'peacekeeping mission' was a misnomer that obscured the scale of military operations on the ground.

Synonyms

wrong namemislabelmistake

Etymology

A name applied wrongly or inaccurately.

  • mis- (Old French) — wrongly
  • nomen (Latin) — name

Memory Aid

Sounds like “miss no more

If you MISS NO MORE names, you won't have a MISNOMER!

Visual Association

📛A confused person holding a name tag that reads 'Dinosaur Expert' while petting a cat.

Semantic Clusters

Synonym Groups

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “misnomer” mean on the GRE?

misnomer (noun) means “A wrong or inaccurate name or designation”. Calling the conflict a 'peacekeeping mission' was a misnomer that obscured the scale of military operations on the ground.

How to remember “misnomer” for the GRE?

Mnemonic: “misnomer” sounds like “miss no more”. If you MISS NO MORE names, you won't have a MISNOMER!

What are synonyms for “misnomer”?

Common synonyms: wrong name, mislabel, mistake.