as in controlling
chiefly US
to try to oversee all the small parts of (something, such as an activity) in a way that is usually not wanted or that causes problems
He micromanaged every detail of the budget.
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Recent Examples of micromanaging
Hollywood became Hollywood long before Sacramento began micromanaging economic development.
—
Will Swaim, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
And while Meta’s future looks more uncertain than ever, Zuckerberg has turned his attention towards building a photorealistic AI clone of himself to make his micromanaging presence omnipresent throughout the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 May 2026
Fahim, a financial analyst, was reportedly frustrated by the amount of work Cuomo would assign him, and had claimed Cuomo was micromanaging him.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 2026
That didn’t appear to be the case in this instance; this was personal animosity—a secretary who was micromanaging personnel decisions in the Army, looking to put his own stamp on that service.
—Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Instead of micromanaging every finger, humans provide high-level input while the AI handles coordination.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Elite athletes are not consciously micromanaging each action.
—David Van Den Heever, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
That becomes micromanaging very quickly.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Will Swaim, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
And while Meta’s future looks more uncertain than ever, Zuckerberg has turned his attention towards building a photorealistic AI clone of himself to make his micromanaging presence omnipresent throughout the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 May 2026
Fahim, a financial analyst, was reportedly frustrated by the amount of work Cuomo would assign him, and had claimed Cuomo was micromanaging him.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 2026
That didn’t appear to be the case in this instance; this was personal animosity—a secretary who was micromanaging personnel decisions in the Army, looking to put his own stamp on that service.
—Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Instead of micromanaging every finger, humans provide high-level input while the AI handles coordination.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Elite athletes are not consciously micromanaging each action.
—David Van Den Heever, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
That becomes micromanaging very quickly.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for micromanaging
Verb
-
Leaders increasingly must learn how to orchestrate systems rather than simply manage processes—from supervising individual workflows to coordinating intelligent networks, and from controlling static operations to adapting continuously evolving environments.—
Mira Tzur,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Not ideal if there are non-human entities roaming around controlling whatever is up in the sky.—
David Hookstead OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
-
Protagonist Pictures is handling sales.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Ude has already observed progress in addressing Nigeria’s cultural disconnect.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
The session will examine AI’s impact on production, ethics and creative work, while also addressing the rise of vertical microdramas as a mobile-first format.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham (Tennant) is determined to dismantle his rivals piece-by-piece, weaponizing scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
Eric Richins' other sister, Katie Richins-Benson, accused Kouri Richins of isolating and manipulating the couple's sons while attempting to take their inheritance.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
My experience includes negotiating SB 54 on plastic pollution and writing Proposition 4, which voters approved by a 20% margin to fund clean water, wildfire prevention and climate resilience projects.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Some are negotiating compressed workweeks to reduce commuting days.—
ByBryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Griswold's office is responsible for supervising Colorado's elections and maintaining the statewide file of voter registrations.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
Leaders increasingly must learn how to orchestrate systems rather than simply manage processes—from supervising individual workflows to coordinating intelligent networks, and from controlling static operations to adapting continuously evolving environments.—
Mira Tzur,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Washington said the airport’s 36-mile-long fence meets Federal Aviation Administration requirements and noted that there are multiple layers of security to prevent a breach from taking place.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
More Americans are hitting the road, boarding flights and taking cruises this Memorial Day, according to AAA.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
If managing cholesterol is a priority, aim to eat one cup of cooked oatmeal per day.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
17 May 2026
-
That’s why the younger version of himself — that kid who arrived in NASCAR two decades ago simply wanting to drive race cars —would never have imagined owning a team or managing a company.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Micromanaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/micromanaging. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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