Incorrect or wrong; based on a misunderstanding or error in judgment.
From Old Norse 'mistaka,' meaning 'to take wrongly' or 'to misinterpret.' The prefix 'mis-' (wrong) combines with 'take,' literally meaning 'to take incorrectly.' The past participle became an adjective meaning 'in error.'
Here's a paradox: people who are most confident they're right are often most likely to be wrong (the Dunning-Kruger effect). This means you should be most suspicious of people who never admit to being mistaken—their confidence might actually indicate they're underestimating complexity!
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