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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of misused
And in a country where Bollywood stars and social media influencers heavily shape body image, doctors worry the drugs could be misused.
—
Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
This term is sometimes misused to describe how easy a plant is to grow.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
The scale of the exposure has raised new concerns about how consumer data can be misused long after a breach occurs.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Marshall exposed that funds intended for inmate rehabilitation and reform were misappropriated or misused, leading to failures in implementing the Act and poor staff, inmate, and public outcomes.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Months after her move, Murillo was the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit by a KCPS teacher alleging that Murillo misused district funds from the East High School budget.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
—Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The government denied that DOGE had misused private data held by Social Security.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Sometimes these words are misunderstood or misused.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 21 Jan. 2026
Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
This term is sometimes misused to describe how easy a plant is to grow.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
The scale of the exposure has raised new concerns about how consumer data can be misused long after a breach occurs.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Marshall exposed that funds intended for inmate rehabilitation and reform were misappropriated or misused, leading to failures in implementing the Act and poor staff, inmate, and public outcomes.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Months after her move, Murillo was the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit by a KCPS teacher alleging that Murillo misused district funds from the East High School budget.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
—Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The government denied that DOGE had misused private data held by Social Security.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Sometimes these words are misunderstood or misused.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misused
abused
Verb
-
Saxon had abused the woman for years, fracturing her hip and nose and causing internal bleeding, a judge found in a ruling ordering him detained pending trial.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
He is estimated to have abused at least 1,000 women and children over decades of secret operations, the Justice Department said.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misused. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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