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misapply Definition

mis·ap·ply (mis′ə plī′)

transitive verb -·plied′, -·ply′·ing

  1. to use badly, incorrectly, or wastefully to misapply one's energies
  2. to handle dishonestly or illegally to misapply an employer's money

misapply Related Forms
mis′·ap·pli·ca′·tion (-ap li kā′s̸hən) noun
misapply Synonyms

misapply

v.

misdirect, waste, distort; see misunderstand.

misapply Usage Examples

Object

  • fund: Trustees unwilling or unable to recover misapplied funds where these are clearly recoverable.
  • law: You should only consider an appeal if the Court has misapplied the law or its decision can be shown to be Wednesbury unreasonable.
  • prophesy: Remember, when Jesus came the first time His own people misunderstood and misapplied the prophecies regarding His kingdom.
  • rule: Social Darwinism was all about misapplying the rules of genetics to those of the development of civilization.
  • verse: That's important, so we don't misapply these verses and cause false guilt.
  • text: You remember how the devil misapplied this text to Christ.

Modifying Another Word

  • often: The phrase is now often misapplied to any problematic or unwelcome situation.