Based on incorrect information or bad judgment; having mistaken beliefs or intentions.
From the prefix 'mis-' (wrongly) plus 'guided' (past participle of 'guide'). The word literally means 'guided wrongly' and emerged in the 16th century to describe actions or beliefs based on faulty direction or information.
Calling someone 'misguided' rather than 'evil' or 'stupid' is linguistically kinder—it implies they had good intentions but wrong information, which is why it's often used in arguments to seem generous while still disagreeing completely with someone's worldview.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.