1
as in abuses
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 mauls
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mismanages
to manage badly
we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandles
Your case shows that persistence, clear documentation and advocacy can make a real difference — even when an airline mishandles a medical refund request.
—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
The quarterback mishandles the snap and heaves the ball, which is picked off.
—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Oct. 2025
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
The quarterback mishandles the snap and heaves the ball, which is picked off.
—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandles
Verb
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New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.
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People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.
Verb
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Bain would immediately give the Dolphins an elite, powerful edge defender who mauls blockers in front of him and fits the 4-3 base defense coach Jeff Hafley wants to play as a traditional defensive end.
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Martin mauls Arlington in 8-6A Arlington Martin got 20 points from Steven Reynolds III and 18 more from Levi Moore as the Warriors blasted Arlington 92-46 in a District 8-6A game on Thursday.
Verb
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If the district violates these state laws, the property would return to state ownership.
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Aysha Bagchi In a win for Republicans, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal law limiting how much political parties can spend in coordination with an election candidate violates the First Amendment, which establishes the right to free speech.
Verb
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Platner is also an unfaithful spouse who mistreats women.
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Victor’s own father is obsessed with legacy and perfection and mistreats his boy, and that cycle continues with Victor and the Creature.
Verb
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Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Another device, called a 4-Poster bait station, attacks the ticks that congregate on deer’s heads.
Verb
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Most notably, those who switched faced a 24% higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
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Your Eyes High blood pressure also damages the sensitive back lining of the eye called the retina.
Verb
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Early on in the clip, Jake Johnson’s former tennis star Dusty Boyd trips over the net and injures his wrist in a bad way.
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Who is responsible when a robot breaks something or injures someone?
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.
Cite this Entry
“Mishandles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandles. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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