1
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
having been shuffled from foster home to foster home, the orphaned girl felt she had been mishandled by an uncaring society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mismanage
to manage badly
we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mishandle
According to Fox 2, the attorney also argued that the blood sample was mishandled by authorities and should not have been admitted as evidence.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025
The president’s ability to declassify information has been invoked when presidents have been accused of mishandling secrets.
—David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Prosecutions under the Espionage Act for mishandling national defense information haven't been limited to classified information, Heidi Kitrosser, a Northwestern University law professor who focuses on government secrecy issues, told USA TODAY in an email.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
If other information was mishandled, the risk to the safety of military members, the CIA, other national security staff, and our country should be promptly addressed.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025
The president’s ability to declassify information has been invoked when presidents have been accused of mishandling secrets.
—David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Prosecutions under the Espionage Act for mishandling national defense information haven't been limited to classified information, Heidi Kitrosser, a Northwestern University law professor who focuses on government secrecy issues, told USA TODAY in an email.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
If other information was mishandled, the risk to the safety of military members, the CIA, other national security staff, and our country should be promptly addressed.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
-
Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Kevin Franke, the father of the children abused by Hildebrandt and his ex-wife, has advocated for more oversight of life coaches since the two women were sent to prison.—
Jessica Schreifels,
ProPublica,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Oklahoma manhandled its two opponents in the first two rounds, dispatching No. 14 seed Florida Gulf Coast, 81-58, and not having much more trouble with No. 6 seed Iowa, 96-62.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2025
-
He was accused of manhandling Mitts during a heated debate about Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city, by blocking her from entering the City Council chambers.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Brooks, running for a third term, argues the village’s finances have been mismanaged, with funds diverted causing delays in community projects at the expense of residents.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The dispute turned into a discussion of how Zuckerberg, in Wynn-Williams’ eyes, had mismanaged Facebook.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But Lively did believe she had been harassed and mistreated on set, the filing claims, making the defamation accusation false.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
-
In a series of posts on X Monday (March 17), the star clapped back at critics of her new music before calling out the way Black women have historically been mistreated.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Just ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was mauled in the Oval Office bear-pit, just how much fun that can be.—
Stephen Collinson,
CNN,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The county’s west side is where three women were attacked — with one severely mauled — by bears in 2013 and 2014.—
Martin E. Comas,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Related article China vows to counter Trump’s ‘bullying’ tariffs as global trade war escalates Another Australian territory targeted by tariffs is the Cocos Islands.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Harvard University settled two lawsuits claiming that the school failed to stop antisemitic harassment and bullying on campus the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Aged 30, Makelele had been converted from an attacking midfielder to a deep-lying, anchoring midfielder that would protect his back line and hoover up any defensive actions that came anywhere near his orbit.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
-
An Arizona man is facing manslaughter charges after five dogs allegedly in his care attacked another man, who died of his injuries, say police.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Their son and daughter-in-law, Cameron Bott, 35, and his wife, Diana, 36, whose nearby home was damaged in the tornado, initiated a discussion about starting a GoFundMe to offset potential insurance shortfalls in rebuilding the gas station.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
-
In addition, these same poisons can damage a cell’s DNA which can allow that cell to grow out of control and cause cancer.—
Omer Awan,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share