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
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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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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandle
Documents released since December have included redaction errors, leaked victim identities, and ongoing complaints of mishandling by department officials.
—
Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
On an out-of-bounds play, the ball was mishandled by Damien and Crespi junior guard Carter Barnes tried to secure a steal.
—Dan Rios, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
That hearing focused on the recent surge of agents to the state, as both sides pointed fingers at the other for mishandling of the situation in Minnesota.
—March 4, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Vincent said earlier this week that out of the 171 plays that were called on replay or replay assist, there were only a handful that were mishandled.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
On an out-of-bounds play, the ball was mishandled by Damien and Crespi junior guard Carter Barnes tried to secure a steal.
—Dan Rios, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
That hearing focused on the recent surge of agents to the state, as both sides pointed fingers at the other for mishandling of the situation in Minnesota.
—March 4, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Vincent said earlier this week that out of the 171 plays that were called on replay or replay assist, there were only a handful that were mishandled.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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During the tantrum, the child verbally abuses the parent and also destroys property within the home.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
15 Mar. 2026
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Although this may change, as people who have acquired Irish citizenship but aren't Irish-born are abusing it, adding to the immigration woes in Britain.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
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Lee had been caught on video back in 2017 shouting at a woman who was reportedly his girlfriend, manhandling her and calling her names, in a confrontation allegedly broken up by a teammate.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 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
-
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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Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List five times.—
Laurie Kellman,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There was a crisp new poster on the easel at the Werth practice facility that displayed the Big East Tournament trophy, not yet mauled in frustration and held together by tape like the regular-season version had been.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
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The wild animals mauled and injured multiple cast members; in one instance, Diaz had to stop director Noel Marshall from internally bleeding.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The victim involved was identified by her family as Jada West, who reportedly had been bullied since transferring to the school.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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The funny thing is, Austin fathered seven children in all, but only Dot, Betty and Helen were coerced into performing, and their father’s monomania is compared, quite alarmingly, to such bullying stage fathers as Murray Wilson (The Beach Boys) and Joe Jackson (The Jackson 5).—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, Iran’s new Supreme Leader said that his country would keep closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane through which about a fifth of the world’s oil flows, and more vessels in the Persian Gulf were attacked, including two oil tankers that were set ablaze off the coast of Iraq.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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Iran attacked two oil tankers off the coast of Iraq overnight, setting them ablaze.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued an Enhanced to Moderate Risk of Severe Weather on Monday, which includes dangerous thunderstorms, damaging winds, and the possibility of a few strong tornadoes.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Frost and freeze conditions will damage unprotected vegetation that is sensitive to freezing temperatures.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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