1
as in to abuse
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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3
as in to mismanage
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 mishandle
Pitcher Orion Kerkering mishandled a comebacker, opting to throw home instead of first with the bases loaded and two outs.
—
Melinda Yao, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony also castigated the deputies for mishandling the 14 calls Mary made to BSO in the year leading up to her death.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump claimed Comey mishandled a 2016 probe into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private email server, but Comey also refused to pledge loyalty to the president.
—Douglas M. Charles, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
She and Sollecito were exonerated and released after four years in prison following an appeal, where the court found that Italian authorities had grossly mishandled the case.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Melinda Yao, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony also castigated the deputies for mishandling the 14 calls Mary made to BSO in the year leading up to her death.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump claimed Comey mishandled a 2016 probe into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private email server, but Comey also refused to pledge loyalty to the president.
—Douglas M. Charles, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
She and Sollecito were exonerated and released after four years in prison following an appeal, where the court found that Italian authorities had grossly mishandled the case.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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The pair also pretended that Tammy was allegedly abusing them.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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In handing down the sentence, Montenegro said Bonillo understood the scope of his misdeeds, abused his position of trust and used that position to enrich himself while undermining CBP’s main goal.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Workers described incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including reports from women workers who said they had been manhandled and subjected to obscene remarks and threats.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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Vancouver completely manhandled a similarly representative Flames lineup, ultimately winning 8-1.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Much of the Shamblins’ lawsuit — echoing past claims of wrongdoing by families of users who were allegedly mistreated or supported in their bad acts by ChatGPT and other AI — traces his descent into despondency.—
Adam Carlson,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
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Two of Parcells’ first moves upon taking over as Miami’s vice president of football operations was to run off Zach Thomas, and to trigger a lifelong beef with Jason Taylor, mistreating both Hall of Famers.—
Omar Kelly
November 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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What To Know On October 27, a 79-year-old woman was found dead near her home in northeastern Japan’s Akita Prefecture, on the island of Honshu, with facial injuries suggesting she had been mauled by a bear, according to local reports.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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As Chris Brown speeds toward a February trial in the case of a housekeeper who was mauled by a security dog at his Los Angeles house five years ago, the singer is sharing his detailed description of the incident, in his own words, for the first time.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An unverified report circulated over the weekend that said Brown claimed Harbour bullied her on set.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
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The complaint alleges Kalumbula didn't protect the student when other students bullied him for having gay parents.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In October alone, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket, a Spanish tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site, and a trail runner was forced to wrestle a bear in the woods before sprinting to safety.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel in response and attacked the Middle East's largest American military base in Qatar.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Stay away from windows as flying debris generated by damaging winds can be deadly.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
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According to Brown, Hurricane Michael damaged 80 percent of the park’s namesake trees, but through a project with the Florida Park Service and Atlanta Botanical Garden, seeds obtained from living trees are being grown and planted in the ravine habitat at Torreya State Park.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Why Supplement Combinations Matter Dietary supplements may seem harmless, but taking too much of certain supplements or misusing them can result in reduced nutrient absorption and other serious side effects.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
10 Nov. 2025
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Hong Kong — A Chinese coffee chain has apologized and changed its name after state media roasted it for misusing a word revered by the nation’s communist government.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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