mismatched

mismatched — verb

1. to bring together two or more people or items that do not go well with each othe

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to bring together two or more people or items that do not go well with each other — for example, pairing a quiet person with a lively music fan, or combining colours that clash.

Example

The school office mismatched Wei with a roommate who went to bed at nine o'clock.

transitive: mismatch [someone] with [someone]

Gabriela had mismatched her earrings because she dressed in a hurry before work.

transitive: accidentally mismatch [items]

Common collocations
  • mismatch [someone] with [someone]
  • mismatch [something] with [something]
  • be mismatched with
Synonyms
  • mispair

    less common; used specifically when pairing individuals such as students or dance partners

  • couple badly

    less formal; used especially for romantic partners or physical objects that do not go together

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

mismatch [someone] with [someone]

mismatch [something] with [something]

be mismatched with [someone/something]

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive voice (be mismatched with). Often implies intention, carelessness, or poor judgment on the part of the person doing the mismatching.

Common Mistakes

I mismatched with my roommate.
My roommate and I were mismatched.
The verb is transitive; you do not use it intransitively without an object.

mismatched — adjective

Word family

  • mismatch
    verbB2
  • mismatch
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While mismatched is the general and neutral term for things that do not go well together — such as socks of different colours or teams of unequal ability — incompatible suggests a deeper, more fundamental conflict that prevents cooperation, as in 'incompatible software systems' or 'incompatible personalities.' Ill-matched is slightly more formal and often describes people whose combination is unsuccessful, such as a couple who have little in common. Clashing is more vivid and informal, typically used for colours, patterns, or loud personality differences — for example, 'her bright orange shirt was clashing with her purple trousers.' For everyday situations like mismatched socks or furniture, mismatched is the most natural choice; for stronger or more technical conflicts, the other words may be more precise.

mismatched ↗incompatible ↗ill-matchedclashing

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

English

The word mismatch combines the prefix mis- (meaning 'wrongly' or 'badly') with the verb match (to pair or bring together). The verb form first appeared in English around the late 1500s, and the adjective became common in everyday use during the 1800s.