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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandle
Judge Wilson seemed to agree, finding in his ruling that a detective mishandled the evidence and failed to follow proper procedure.
—
CNN Money, 4 June 2026
But last month, Lara took legal action against State Farm, alleging the company mishandled wildfire claims in the devastated Los Angeles fire zones.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee mishandled a Yandy Diaz grounder that could have been an inning-ending double play.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 June 2026
The club wants Mayor Zohran Mandani and the City Council to revoke the honor, after making a commitment to cancel Koch a condition of its endorsements due to the club's perception that Koch mishandled the 1980s AIDS crisis.
—Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
CNN Money, 4 June 2026
But last month, Lara took legal action against State Farm, alleging the company mishandled wildfire claims in the devastated Los Angeles fire zones.
—Pat Maio, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee mishandled a Yandy Diaz grounder that could have been an inning-ending double play.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 June 2026
The club wants Mayor Zohran Mandani and the City Council to revoke the honor, after making a commitment to cancel Koch a condition of its endorsements due to the club's perception that Koch mishandled the 1980s AIDS crisis.
—Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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According to Variety and Puck, the film was originally set to dramatize Jackson being accused of abusing 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler in 1993.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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The lawsuit, filed in December, claims that the Litchfield Middle School failed to act on a complaint from the 1980s that Driscoll was allegedly abusing students before Fitterer and Bird were middle school students in the 1990s.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Verb
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During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But given the agency’s track record of withholding information, mismanaging funds and failing to comply with audit recommendations, assurances alone are not enough.—
J.B. Jennings,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Feb. 2026
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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a letter last week demanding information about the project and accusing the state of mismanaging federal funds.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Those scars created a man who was a distant father and equally remote with his band members at the peak, mistreating them with casual disdain until everything fell apart.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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His tenure at Texas Tech came to a messy and uncomfortable end when he was fired for cause after being accused of mistreating a player with a concussion.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Throw in the signing of dual threat quarterback Malik Willis with the drafting of mauling offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor as well as Will Kacmarek, arguably the best blocking tight end of the 2026 class, and all signs point to the Dolphins having an elite rushing attack for quite some time.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
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Continue reading … TERROR NEXT DOOR — Pit bulls mauled woman to death after 14 calls to police about owner, sheriff says.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
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In addition, referees were instructed to apply the rules regarding fouls and misconducts more strictly – a move meant to protect players and their inventiveness.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
Verb
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A little over a month later, another spell of freezing weather bullied its way into Central Florida and slammed the remaining citrus groves that had just started to recover.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
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With Ethan Hawke's newbie simmering against the go-for-broke finesse of Denzel Washington's very bad, no-good officer, Training Day revels in tension, with washes of blue and green augmenting scenes where Hawke is bullied into getting high.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Just attacking everything with strikes.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
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Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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