misapply

Verb

Verb Forms: misplied, misplying, misplies

• To use or apply something incorrectly or for the wrong purpose.
• apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly
  • "You are misapplying the name of this religious group"
• To apply incorrectly; to misuse.

Examples

• A Scrabble player might misapply a bonus square, placing a low-value tile on a triple word score.

Synonyms

misuse