as in mismanagement
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1
as in abusing
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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2
as in manhandling
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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3
as in damaging
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 mishandling
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Leavitt’s statement confirms speculation that the federal government is weighing whether to hold Walz responsible for his alleged mishandling of the fraud investigations in his state.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Jan. 2026
Ticketmaster, which sold most of the tickets, was sued by fans for its mishandling of ticket sales, prompting an investigation by the Justice Department.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
The leak sparked fears about the potential mishandling of classified national security information.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The mishandling of his status and the confusion about his availability led the NFL to investigate the matter, which has now led to a massive fine for the Ravens organization.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
That Trump has been singularly focused on pop culture comes at a time when his reputation — and that of his administration — has been under fire due to the mishandling of the Epstein files.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Consistent with all applicable laws, NSA investigates any mishandling or unauthorized disclosure of intelligence and partners closely with Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ensure the necessary steps are taken to hold those accountable.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Michael is approved by the late singer’s estate, which has been handling—or, by some accounts, mishandling—the legal rights of Jackson’s accusers in relation to the story.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 2 Feb. 2026
The Justice Department recently submitted new information in a court case involving the Social Security Administration, which reveals alleged mishandling of personal data at the agency.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Federal officials also denied Minnesota state investigators access to the shooting scene in south Minneapolis, prompting local and state officials to accuse the Homeland Security agency of mishandling evidence.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
However, your friends are blaming you for asking valid questions of someone who is mishandling funds and directly impacting your quality of life.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Historical accounts show that Capo associate Joey Garofano disappeared after mishandling aspects of the Weiss hit.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Mayes is currently investigating Horne and the department for allegedly mishandling public funds.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
Noun
Instead of taking responsibility for the mishandling of the snow removal, Bilandic lashed out, saying police would be ticketing vehicles and ordering them towed if not removed from Chicago’s streets.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Leavitt’s statement confirms speculation that the federal government is weighing whether to hold Walz responsible for his alleged mishandling of the fraud investigations in his state.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Jan. 2026
Ticketmaster, which sold most of the tickets, was sued by fans for its mishandling of ticket sales, prompting an investigation by the Justice Department.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
The leak sparked fears about the potential mishandling of classified national security information.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The mishandling of his status and the confusion about his availability led the NFL to investigate the matter, which has now led to a massive fine for the Ravens organization.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
That Trump has been singularly focused on pop culture comes at a time when his reputation — and that of his administration — has been under fire due to the mishandling of the Epstein files.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
Anutin has been prime minister only since last September, after serving in the Cabinet of his immediate predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced out of office for an ethics violation regarding mishandling relations with Cambodia.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Consistent with all applicable laws, NSA investigates any mishandling or unauthorized disclosure of intelligence and partners closely with Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ensure the necessary steps are taken to hold those accountable.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Michael is approved by the late singer’s estate, which has been handling—or, by some accounts, mishandling—the legal rights of Jackson’s accusers in relation to the story.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 2 Feb. 2026
The Justice Department recently submitted new information in a court case involving the Social Security Administration, which reveals alleged mishandling of personal data at the agency.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Federal officials also denied Minnesota state investigators access to the shooting scene in south Minneapolis, prompting local and state officials to accuse the Homeland Security agency of mishandling evidence.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
However, your friends are blaming you for asking valid questions of someone who is mishandling funds and directly impacting your quality of life.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Historical accounts show that Capo associate Joey Garofano disappeared after mishandling aspects of the Weiss hit.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Mayes is currently investigating Horne and the department for allegedly mishandling public funds.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandling
Noun
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Residents had begun to suspect mismanagement and wanted to terminate the contracts the developer had entered.—
Catherine Odom
February 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Wednesday’s cuts are the culmination of years of difficult industry-wide headwinds, damaging ownership decisions, leadership mismanagement, and turnover that kept the Post from developing and executing goals.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The couple was accused of abusing Ethan and their 3-year-old son.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
According to the lawsuit, Myer allegedly began abusing his police powers against Gabriele in September 2021.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
That’s exactly how the Miami Dolphins performed in Sunday’s 30-13 win against the Buffalo Bills in a contest Miami controlled all game, manhandling the reigning AFC East division champions to prove that the 2025 season isn’t over.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
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This will keep other items from damaging the leather, as well as keep it dust free.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Takaichi hoped to translate her own popularity into a stronger mandate for her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – which has been weakened in recent years by a scandal involving the misuse of political funds.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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Credit freezes and deceased flags help, but identity misuse can still surface in other ways.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rootselaar transitioned from male to female about six years ago and subsequently dropped out of school two years later, but McDonald said there is no evidence that Rootselaar dropped out due to bullying because of the transition.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
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For more than a year, high-ranking staffers have resigned, often in public fashion, and accused him of bullying them and abusing his office’s authority.—
Ryan Oehrli
February 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The strategy marks a shift toward attacking cartels’ financial systems as law enforcement pressure mounts on traditional drug routes.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Dan Ndoye is capable of playing in a central attacking role and Morgan Gibbs-White has looked handy playing in a more advanced role.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Republicans said that would stave off abuse of the Medicaid program and added a $50 billion investment in rural health to offset losses.—
ALI SWENSON,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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The previous week, Celta striker Borja Iglesias was subjected to homophobic abuse following a game at Sevilla.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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