misrule

1 of 2

verb

mis·​rule ˌmis-ˈrül 

misruled; misruling; misrules

transitive verb

: to rule incompetently : misgovern

misrule

2 of 2

noun

1

: the action of misruling : the condition of being misruled

The people endured many years of misrule.

2

: disorder, anarchy

Synonyms of misrule

Verb

• misconduct
• abuse
• misgovern
• damage
• mismanage
• violate

Noun

• anarchy

Examples of misrule in a Sentence

Verb

accused of misruling his island nation to the point of economic collapse

Noun

The people of that country have endured many years of misrule.

the country's long period of misrule had made it a hotbed for terrorist organizations

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The result is a society that feels both rule-bound and misruled, saturated with laws and yet strangely lawless. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025

Congo had been brutally misruled by Belgium for over 70 years when the winds of change blew through in the late 1950s. —Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023

Noun

Goetz understood this disorder not as the product of scant civic resources or state retreat but rather as the result of liberal misrule—do-gooder bureaucrats, failed social programs, and a city that had coddled the undeserving and the criminal. —Heather Ann Thompson, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026

Soon, the story became buried in the avalanche of corruption and misrule that followed. —Terence McNamee, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing misrule

• lord of misrule

Rhymes for misrule

• ampoule
• bascule
• carpool
• cesspool
• ferrule
• footstool
• guayule
• lobule
• preschool
• pustule
• whirlpool
• boule

Kids Definition

misrule

1 of 2 verb

mis·​rule (ˈ)mis-ˈrül 

: to rule or govern badly

misrule

2 of 2 noun

1

: the action of misruling : the state of being misruled

2

: disorder entry 2 sense 1, anarchy