Misimproved

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Characterized by having been made worse or deteriorated
2. the result of changes that fail to enhance quality or functionality
3. describing a situation where improvements lead to a negative outcome

Etymology: "Misimproved" is the past tense and past participle of "misimprove," a verb formed from the prefix "mis-" attached to "improve." The prefix carries its usual sense of wrongly or badly, so to misimprove something is to make it worse through the very act of trying to make it better. The verb "improve" itself came into English from Anglo-Norman "emprower," a relative of the older "prow" meaning profit, which gives the root a commercial flavour: to improve was originally to turn land or goods to profit. The compound follows the same pattern as other "mis-" verbs such as "misuse" or "misplace," where the prefix reverses the intended outcome of the base word. Because "improve" is the base, the result is a word that describes a paradox: a fix that backfires, a revision that leaves a thing worse than before.

Synonyms: neglected, deteriorated, worsened, spoiled, degraded

Antonyms: improved, enhanced, developed, refined, upgraded