misidentification
misidentification — noun
- misidentificationsingular
- misidentificationsplural
1. a situation in which someone mistakenly believes a person or thing to be someone
a situation in which someone mistakenly believes a person or thing to be someone or something else — for example, thinking a stranger is an old friend, or wrongly naming a plant you have just seen.
The witness's misidentification of the suspect led to the arrest of an innocent man.
misidentification of [person] — legal context
A simple misidentification of the bird species can ruin an entire scientific survey.
misidentification of [thing/species] — scientific context
Fatima spent three days in hospital after a misidentification of the wild mushroom she picked.
A DNA test later confirmed that the museum had made a serious misidentification of the painting's artist.
- confusion
broader and less formal; can refer to any mix-up, not just identity
- mistaken identity
specifically about people; a fixed phrase often used in crime reports
- misclassification
used when the error is about category or type rather than individual identity
- identification
the correct act of naming or recognising
- recognition
implies accurate, often immediate, awareness of identity
文法句型
a misidentification of + noun phrase
a case of misidentification
用法筆記
Most common in formal or professional settings such as legal testimony, scientific classification, and archival or museum work. The verb form is misidentify (B2). When specifying what was wrongly identified, the pattern 'misidentification of + noun phrase' is standard.