1
as in abused
to put to a bad or improper use
an actor who misused his considerable talent by appearing in too many lousy movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullied
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
sadly misused by the people he had trusted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of misused
Claude Code Security builds on over a year of research by the company’s Frontier Red Team, an internal group of about 15 researchers tasked with stress-testing the company’s most advanced AI systems and probing how they might be misused in areas such as cybersecurity.
—
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Several initial reports speculated that his resignation stemmed from the ongoing federal probe into whether union officials misused licensed funds for personal enrichment.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
And in a country where Bollywood stars and social media influencers heavily shape body image, doctors worry the drugs could be misused.
—Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
This term is sometimes misused to describe how easy a plant is to grow.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
The scale of the exposure has raised new concerns about how consumer data can be misused long after a breach occurs.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Marshall exposed that funds intended for inmate rehabilitation and reform were misappropriated or misused, leading to failures in implementing the Act and poor staff, inmate, and public outcomes.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Months after her move, Murillo was the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit by a KCPS teacher alleging that Murillo misused district funds from the East High School budget.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
—Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Several initial reports speculated that his resignation stemmed from the ongoing federal probe into whether union officials misused licensed funds for personal enrichment.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
And in a country where Bollywood stars and social media influencers heavily shape body image, doctors worry the drugs could be misused.
—Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
This term is sometimes misused to describe how easy a plant is to grow.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
The scale of the exposure has raised new concerns about how consumer data can be misused long after a breach occurs.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Marshall exposed that funds intended for inmate rehabilitation and reform were misappropriated or misused, leading to failures in implementing the Act and poor staff, inmate, and public outcomes.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Months after her move, Murillo was the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit by a KCPS teacher alleging that Murillo misused district funds from the East High School budget.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
—Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misused
abused
Verb
-
One of the victims was 16 when Shroats allegedly abused her.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
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The robots get stuck in potholes, can’t reach doorbells and are sometimes abused by humans.—
Nilesh Christopher,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misused. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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