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I use the word "misconfigured" all the time, but MS Word, Chrome, and the two dictionaries I checked don't list it as a word.

I'm going to keep using it instead of "configured incorrectly" because I believe it communicates an obvious meaning. However, is it a word that I can use formally? If not, why not?

herisson
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Chris
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    If you use it, I'm pretty sure your meaning will not be misconstrued or misunderstood. – Robusto Dec 30 '10 at 20:05
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    @Robusto: Yes, but will my hypothetical English professor mark me down for using it? – Chris Dec 30 '10 at 23:42
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    Came here for the exact same reason, wanted to use it, but my spell checker complained. Thanks for asking this! – Andy Dec 06 '17 at 18:27

3 Answers3

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Mis- is a productive prefix, so I see no reason why it should not be allowed to form new verbs, unless used instead of a better word if such exists. The OED agrees:

As now apprehended, the prefix normally implies not censure of the act itself, but only of its manner. With this restriction, nonce-words may be formed very freely. In the 17th c. the use was much wider, and many of the formations of that period would now be inadmissible.

An alternative could be malconfigured, if you wish to use a Latinate prefix to a Latinate word.

Cerberus - Reinstate Monica
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    I've worked in IT for 20+ years and I've never heard "malconfigured". I do believe you'd get your ass kicked if you said something like that man. Misconfigured is used all the time and it should have been in the dictionary 10+ years ago. – deltaray Apr 08 '20 at 20:36
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    @deltaray: Perhaps so, but that does not make it better. Malconfigured is probably a better formation, so that is an argument for using it. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Apr 08 '20 at 22:11
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    I heard malconfigured already in the context of IT, and I think it sounds similarly good/bad thereby being the more elegant formation. I will use that instead. Sometimes I also hear ill configured.. but ill cannot be a prefix like that right? – Jan Jan 01 '21 at 10:19
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    @Jan: An ill-configured computer also sounds perfectly fine to me. Ill- can be used as a praefix to mean "wrong(ly)". – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Jan 01 '21 at 18:00
  • I believe the military term is the initialism "FUBAR". – martineau Nov 18 '21 at 19:27
  • @deltaray I can see "malconfigured" being appropriate when a configuration is malformed. A quick Google search confirms the word is in use. – user3932000 Feb 23 '23 at 18:49
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It seems that "misconfigure" is an acceptable word by Wiktionary standards.

I believe that if your formal communication involves writing to or talking with somebody who has tried to "configure" something, the message will be clear, and thus, the usage acceptable. If you are in a context where there is danger of miscommunication or misunderstanding, then you might prefer the "configured incorrectly" version. However, note that in the latter, you run the risk of somebody misinterpreting it to mean that there was a single "correct" configuration that was possible. Hence, I believe, in general misconfigure(d) is more accurate, and thereby more preferable.

Suvrit
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At the very least, it is widely used computer jargon. Google lists 275k hits for misconfigured.

(Side note: My spell checker, on Linux chrome, does not recognise misconfigured, but does recognise its cousin "misconfiguration").

luispedro
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