misworship

/mɪsˈwɜː(ɹ)ʃɪp/

misworship means false or wrong worship; mistaken practices in religion. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

misworship is pronounced /mɪsˈwɜː(ɹ)ʃɪp/.

Why “misworship” is a great word

MISWORSHIP — [Noun, Verb] False or erroneous worship; mistaken religious practice. From the English prefix mis- ("wrongly, badly") + worship ("reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage"). Unlike idolatry, which is worship of a false god, or orthodoxy, which is adherence to authorized belief, misworship is the broader, more melancholy error in the act itself. It is the fervent prayer offered through a corrupted text, the impeccable ritual performed with a hateful heart, or the profound sacrifice made to appease a misunderstood aspect of the divine—the quiet tragedy not of disbelief, but of a sincere love expressed in the wrong language.

Etymology

From mis- + worship.

noun

False or wrong worship; mistaken practices in religion.“Might men be their own judges, there would be no heresy in the world, no misworship.”

verb

To worship (a deity, etc.) wrongly.“The Israelites misworshipped the true God; the Syrians worshipped a false.”