Misbalanced

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A situation in which elements are arranged unevenly creates instability
2. The condition where proportions are skewed results in a lack of equilibrium
3. Exhibiting a state where parts are not properly aligned, causing instability or unevenness

Etymology: "Misbalanced" is the past participle and past tense of "misbalance," which is formed from the prefix "mis-" attached to "balance." The prefix "mis-" comes from Old English and carries the sense of "wrongly" or "badly," as in "misjudge" or "misspell," so the word means something that has been balanced badly rather than not at all. "Balance" itself traces back through Old French "balance" to Late Latin "bilancia," meaning a pair of scales, from Latin "bi-" (two) and "lanx" (dish or pan). The original image is literally two pans held in equilibrium, which explains why the word still centres on the idea of weights that should match.

Synonyms: imbalanced, unbalanced

Antonyms: balanced