mis·match
ˈmis-ˌmach 
plural mismatches
: a faulty or unsuitable match
New England plays St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI this evening, and on the face of it, this game is a mismatch, a blowout waiting to happen.—
William C. Rhoden
William C. RhodenShe is blood type O, and the donor heart and lungs she received in the first operation were blood type A. That mismatch triggered rejection by her immune system.—Dan Vergano
Dan Vergano
mis·match
ˌmis-ˈmach
mismatched; mismatching
: to match (two people or things) wrongly or unsuitably
Let's say that you are afraid of boring your audience. One cause is mismatching the audience's need and the level of detail you provide.—Liz Reyer
Liz ReyerExamples of mismatch in a Sentence
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Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
This mismatch could explain why some AI companionships intensify feelings of loneliness or heartache over time: the body is asking for the physiological correlates of love and receiving none.
—Ximena Araya-Fischel, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Nick Schultz, Oc Register, 29 May 2025
Madigan is fond of the trick that is setting particularly bloody sequences to high-energy, tonally mismatched tunes — Hartnett bashes and stabs his way through everything from punk to polka aboard that flight.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
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Noun
Both measurements are the highest in the nation for this workplace mismatch.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
This mismatch could explain why some AI companionships intensify feelings of loneliness or heartache over time: the body is asking for the physiological correlates of love and receiving none.
—Ximena Araya-Fischel, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Verb
Without the time or inclination to learn about their clients, attorneys cannot effectively advocate for them, resulting in needless incarceration, mismatched rehabilitation models, and an overall reduction in public safety.
—Nick Schultz, Oc Register, 29 May 2025
Madigan is fond of the trick that is setting particularly bloody sequences to high-energy, tonally mismatched tunes — Hartnett bashes and stabs his way through everything from punk to polka aboard that flight.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
Cite this Entry
“Mismatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mismatch. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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