Misalign

To place or arrange things in the wrong position or order relative to each other, resulting in a lack of coordination, balance, or accuracy. It implies a deviation from the intended or correct alignment, often leading to malfunction, inefficiency, or visual imperfection. This can apply to physical objects, abstract concepts, or data structures. The degree of misalignment can vary from a minor deviation to a significant displacement, impacting the overall functionality or presentation. It's the act of making something crooked, off-center, or out of its proper place.

Misalign meaning with examples

• During the printer's assembly, the paper tray was tragically misaligned. This caused a complete jam, leading to a printing error on all pages. The technician had to completely disassemble the tray and carefully re-align it, leading to the first clear printing session in a day.
• The company's marketing strategies, sadly, were misaligned with its sales targets. While they created impressive ad campaigns, no actions were put in place to gather the appropriate data to track its effectiveness in its client base, and the business’s growth plateaued.
• The image on the projector was hopelessly misaligned. The presentation was a disaster, as the image was not legible at all, due to being at a skewed angle. The speaker had to spend valuable time correcting the projector before being able to continue the talk.
• After a traumatic incident, his perspective became misaligned with reality. This made it difficult for him to cope with everyday interactions, as his interpretation of the world was no longer based in observable facts.