Misnomer - Definition and Overview

A misnomer is an incorrect or misleading name for a thing. They are often idiomatic.

Examples

• Comic books are illustrated stories of any genre or tone, not necessarily funny.
• Dry cleaning often uses fluid such as naphtha, making clothes wet.
• The "lead" in modern pencils is made of graphite and clay, not lead.
• Koala bears are herbivorous marsupials, unrelated to the carnivorous bear family.
• Chinese checkers is not Chinese (or even Asian) in origin.
• Peanuts are legumes, not nuts.
• The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan is not a liberal party.
• The fundamental theorem of algebra is really a theorem of analysis, not of algebra.

Compare with

• malapropism