Misadjust

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To make an adjustment that is inaccurate or unsuitable, causing negative consequences for performance or operation
2. The process of incorrectly altering something, resulting in a lack of alignment or functional failure
3. To set or change something in a way that is incorrect or inappropriate, leading to suboptimal function

Etymology: "Misadjust" is a plain compound: the prefix "mis-", meaning "wrongly" or "badly," attached to "adjust." "Adjust" itself comes from Latin "adjustare," a verb built from "ad-" ("to") and "justare," which relates to "justus," meaning "just" or "right," so to adjust is literally to bring something into proper, right shape. Adding "mis-" reverses that aim, so to misadjust is to set something wrongly and leave it out of true. The compound follows a pattern English has used freely for centuries, in which "mis-" joins with an existing verb to name a faulty version of the action, as with "misjudge," "misplace," and "mislead." Because "mis-" attaches easily to most verbs, "misadjust" needed no special coinage; it simply describes an adjustment done incorrectly, whether to a machine, a measurement, or a plan.

Synonyms: misalign, misconfigure, mistune

Antonyms: adjust, align, configure, tune