misadjusting
|mis-ad-just-ing|
/ˌmɪsəˈdʒʌst/
(misadjust)
incorrect adjustment
Etymology
'misadjust' is formed from the prefix 'mis-' (from Old English 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly') combined with 'adjust' (from Old French 'ajuster', from Latin elements 'ad-' meaning 'to' and a root related to 'justus' meaning 'right').
The element 'adjust' came into English via Old French 'ajuster' and later English 'adjust'; combining it with the negative prefix 'mis-' produced the compound 'misadjust' in Modern English use to express 'adjust wrongly.'
Originally it meant simply 'to adjust in a wrong way'; this core meaning has persisted, and modern compounds like 'misadjustment' or forms such as 'misadjusting' retain that basic sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of misadjusting (used when the gerund functions as a noun).
His constant misadjusting of the controls led to repeated failures.
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Verb 1
present participle or gerund form of 'misadjust'.
He kept misadjusting the camera settings, so the photos came out blurred.
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Verb 2
the action of adjusting something in a wrong or inappropriate way (continuous aspect).
Misadjusting the thermostat caused the room temperature to fluctuate all day.
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Adjective 1
used attributively to describe something that is being or has been adjusted incorrectly.
The misadjusting mechanism produced inconsistent results during the test.
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Last updated: 2025/09/01 19:57