Standard Lemma guide

misshapen

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /mɪsˈʃeɪ.pən/
  • [mɪʃˈʃeɪ.pən] commonly
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH0 S SH EY1 P AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: M IH0 S HH AE1 P AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a bad, ugly or awkward shape; deformed; malformed; ill-shapen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misproportioned

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Morally or intellectually warped.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

Synonym of misshape.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misshape

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • deformed thalidomide babies
  • his poor distorted limbs
  • an ill-shapen vase
  • a limp caused by a malformed foot
  • misshapen old fingers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deformed, distorted, ill-shapen, malformed

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English mysshapen, misse shapen, mysshape, mysshap; equivalent to mis- + shapen.

From Middle English (attested as mysshapend). Probably partly from the adjective and partly from mis- + shapen (verb), though shapen is attested later.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: деформиран (deformiran) — deformed
  • Bulgarian: уродлив (urodliv) — deformed
  • Dutch: misvormd — deformed
  • Finnish: vääristynyt — deformed
  • Finnish: epämuodostunut — deformed
  • Galician: deforme — deformed
  • Galician: contrafeito — deformed
  • German: missgestaltet — deformed
  • Ancient Greek: δύσμορφος (dúsmorphos) — deformed
  • Irish: anchumtha — deformed
  • Irish: dodhealbhach — deformed
  • Irish: míchruthach — deformed
  • Irish: míchumtha — deformed
  • Italian: deforme — deformed
  • Latin: dēfōrmis — deformed
  • Latin: distortus — deformed
  • Norwegian: vanskapt — deformed
  • Norwegian: misdannet — deformed
  • Persian: بیریخت (birixt) — deformed
  • Plautdietsch: draljedreit — deformed
  • Polish: zniekształcony — deformed
  • Polish: niekształtny — deformed
  • Russian: деформи́рованный (deformírovannyj) — deformed
  • Scots: hurklin — deformed
  • Serbo-Croatian: деформисан — deformed
  • Serbo-Croatian: deformisan — deformed
  • Spanish: malhecho — deformed
  • Swedish: vanskapt — deformed
  • Swedish: missbildad — deformed