MANHANDLED Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

manhandled

verb

past tense of manhandle

as in abused

to abuse physically charges that the police manhandled peaceful protesters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bullied

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon if you see anyone manhandling a child, you should call the authorities

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of manhandled He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026 Not only did the offense look poor against the New York Jets on Sunday but the defensive line got manhandled by the Jets offensive line. — Austin Mock, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Valley View won its first game but was manhandled by Searcy last week. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026 New England lost in demoralizing fashion to the Seahawks last February, 29-13, as the Seattle defense manhandled the Patriots’ offense. — Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026 Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash. — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026 Did something get squashed en route, then manhandled by Kennedy? — Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026 Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith. — Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for manhandled

Verb

Or to feel that no one with the power to do something cares that you were abused.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
Leo was to meet with seven survivors later Sunday, including one who was abused as an adult, in recognition of the new frontier of the abuse crisis facing the church.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

His descriptions of being bullied in high school for his sexuality resemble plotlines from Very Special Episodes of TV, and his relationship with his ailing father is similarly generic.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Yes, Stark has painted, or, more accurately, anodized, powder-coated, and otherwise bullied into submission just about everything to black.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of bullied

Verb

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Friday that Ukraine attacked four Russian oil refineries overnight, but air defenses fended off the attacks.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Trust took another nosedive when OpenAI’s agents attacked Hugging Face this summer and, in a world-first, a rogue model hacked the Australian Government’s website.

— Yerbol Orynbayev, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

When his grandfather was mauled by a leopard caught in a trap set for an impala, however, Mgesi began to feel that the dangers of hunting wildlife outweighed its benefits for humans.

— Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
The native dogs are known to have killed baby Azaria Chamberlain, who was taken in the outback in 1980, and mauled Canadian tourist Piper James, who died on K’Gari off the coast of Queensland earlier this year.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of mauled

Verb

However, the night took a turn when Kanye West ambushed Swift’s acceptance speech, creating one of the most infamous moments in the awards show’s history — and subsequently sparking a years-long feud with Swift.

— Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2026
Investigators later determined the shooting happened in the area of Pontiac Lake Road and Summit Drive, where the four men were ambushed by several other men armed with assault rifles.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of ambushed

Verb

Canadian researchers found that older adults who were maltreated as children may face a significantly higher risk of cancer decades later.

— Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The Adams County Health and Human Services Department’s initial assessment indicated that the infant was maltreated, though a final autopsy report is still pending, TMZ reported.

— Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026

Definition of maltreated

Verb

The Fed’s watchdog said renovations were mishandled, but no laws were broken.

— Alec Dent, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Ryan Vilade and Diaz walked and as the Yankees mishandled a throw in attempting a double play on Liam Hicks’ grounder, Vilade made a heads-up dash for home.

— Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of mishandled

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manhandle

manhandled

manhandles

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“Manhandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manhandled. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of manhandled

verb

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