Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mangle are batter, cripple, maim, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When would batter be a good substitute for mangle?

Although the words batter and mangle have much in common, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When could cripple be used to replace mangle?

While in some cases nearly identical to mangle, cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When is maim a more appropriate choice than mangle?

The meanings of maim and mangle largely overlap; however, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

Where would mutilate be a reasonable alternative to mangle?

The synonyms mutilate and mangle are sometimes interchangeable, but mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Examples of mangle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Florida and Georgia communities devastated Helene cut a massive path of destruction across Florida, Georgia and the Southeastern US, snapping trees and power lines, and mangling hundreds of homes. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024 The guitars are really gnarly and mangled with FX, while Gibby is exploring his Gibbytronix system of delays and pitch-shifting that slowed down and sped up his voice. Simon Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Sep. 2024 Days after the horrific car accident that mangled Doshia’s bone and tore through her muscle — and days after the numerous surgeries required to hammer and nail her skeleton back in place — the crippling pain persisted. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2024 With practiced soundbites, the VP went straight for the undecided voters of suburban women as Trump seemed to go out of his way to mangle the matter and alienate his own base and others in the process. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mangle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mangle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near mangle

Cite this Entry

“Mangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on mangle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!