as in to misconduct
to manage badly
the ruling party was soundly defeated at the polls for having disastrously misgoverned the country
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Recent Examples of misgovern
But a ruling class that systematically blinds itself to the most profound longings of human beings will misunderstand and misgovern those under its sway.
—
Benjamin and Jenna Storey, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2021
Benjamin and Jenna Storey, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misgovern
Verb
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But given the agency’s track record of withholding information, mismanaging funds and failing to comply with audit recommendations, assurances alone are not enough.—
J.B. Jennings,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Feb. 2026
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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a letter last week demanding information about the project and accusing the state of mismanaging federal funds.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Haines is among more than 1,500 property owners who filed a federal lawsuit arguing the moratorium enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention violated the Fifth Amendment by unlawfully denying them compensation.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
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But after the state complied, white plaintiffs sued, saying the second district drawn with racial goals in mind violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The Trinity fire, which started May 1 in Phelan, burned 19 acres with no structures damaged, though the blaze destroyed an unknown number of Joshua trees.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
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They’re specifically designed for glass cooktop surfaces and have two sides—a gritty, sandpaper-like one on one side and a soft sponge on the other that gently scrub off stubborn messes and stuck-on bits without scratching or damaging the glass.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The daughter of one of those killed in the Bondi attacks said that a year earlier she was verbally abused while carrying her baby in a Sydney shopping mall by a man who spotted her Star of David necklace.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
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There will be heavy reviews/assurances that those kept in state care are treated well and not abused, as in past histories.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Misgovern.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misgovern. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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