ENGLISH
REFERENCE

mistaken

adj.
US //mɪˈsteɪkən// UK //mɪstˈeɪkən// mis·tak·en
  1. 1 wrong about something (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    wrong in what you believe or think.

    holding an incorrect belief or opinion; often used in the phrase 'to be mistaken'.

    Example

    If you think the meeting is today, you are mistaken; it is actually tomorrow.

    Example

    I was initially mistaken about his intentions, but his subsequent actions proved that he was genuinely trying to help the team.

    Usage

    Commonly follows the verb 'to be' or 'to find oneself'.
    Pitfall
    I am mistaken about the date.
    I was mistaken about the date.

    While you can be 'mistaken' in the present, we usually use the past tense to describe the moment we realized our error.

  2. 2 incorrect or erroneous (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    based on a wrong idea or fact.

    characterised by error; based on a false premise or incorrect information.

    Example

    The police released the man after a case of mistaken identity.

    Example

    The theory was based on a mistaken assumption that the market would remain stable despite the political unrest.

    Usage

    Often used to modify nouns like 'identity', 'belief', or 'assumption'.
Origin

Morphologically mistake + -n.

Word family

© 2026 English Reference