1
as in abused
to put to a bad or improper use
an actor who misused his considerable talent by appearing in too many lousy movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullied
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
sadly misused by the people he had trusted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misused
Denver’s previous vendor, Flock Safety, misused data, and that contract was terminated.
—
Michael Hancock, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
The Ethics Committee panel cited a years-long inquiry into whether Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick misused covid pandemic money.
—Kadia Goba, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Cook said that while the department has outlined policies limiting how drones can be used, those rules do not guarantee that the technology will not be misused.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
Even those made from durable materials can break if misused.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2026
Monitoring your credit, limiting how widely your personal information appears online and responding quickly to alerts can reduce the damage if your information is misused.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
An internal government watchdog and members of Congress are separately investigating new allegations that a Department of Government Efficiency staffer potentially misused sensitive Social Security data.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Voter privacy advocates worry that shared election data could be misused to remove people from state voter rolls in violation of privacy laws.
—Josh Kelety, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner is moving through the courts, alleging the district misused millions of dollars earmarked for arts and music instruction under Proposition 28.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
Michael Hancock, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
The Ethics Committee panel cited a years-long inquiry into whether Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick misused covid pandemic money.
—Kadia Goba, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Cook said that while the department has outlined policies limiting how drones can be used, those rules do not guarantee that the technology will not be misused.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
Even those made from durable materials can break if misused.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2026
Monitoring your credit, limiting how widely your personal information appears online and responding quickly to alerts can reduce the damage if your information is misused.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
An internal government watchdog and members of Congress are separately investigating new allegations that a Department of Government Efficiency staffer potentially misused sensitive Social Security data.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Voter privacy advocates worry that shared election data could be misused to remove people from state voter rolls in violation of privacy laws.
—Josh Kelety, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner is moving through the courts, alleging the district misused millions of dollars earmarked for arts and music instruction under Proposition 28.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misused
abused
Verb
-
Berman rehabilitates rabbits that are abandoned, neglected, abused, and in danger of being euthanized.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Prosecutors argue that Duckett was a monster in disguise who abused the badge and brutally raped and killed Teresa before dumping her body in a lake.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misused. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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