1
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
having been shuffled from foster home to foster home, the orphaned girl felt she had been mishandled by an uncaring society
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mismanage
to manage badly
we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandle
Documents released since December have included redaction errors, leaked victim identities, and ongoing complaints of mishandling by department officials.
—
Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
On an out-of-bounds play, the ball was mishandled by Damien and Crespi junior guard Carter Barnes tried to secure a steal.
—Dan Rios, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
That hearing focused on the recent surge of agents to the state, as both sides pointed fingers at the other for mishandling of the situation in Minnesota.
—March 4, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Vincent said earlier this week that out of the 171 plays that were called on replay or replay assist, there were only a handful that were mishandled.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
On an out-of-bounds play, the ball was mishandled by Damien and Crespi junior guard Carter Barnes tried to secure a steal.
—Dan Rios, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
That hearing focused on the recent surge of agents to the state, as both sides pointed fingers at the other for mishandling of the situation in Minnesota.
—March 4, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Vincent said earlier this week that out of the 171 plays that were called on replay or replay assist, there were only a handful that were mishandled.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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The three men claimed that the two-time Academy Award-winning star abused them at times between 2000 and 2013.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Animals deserve to be protected and cherished, never abused or neglected.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
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Lee had been caught on video back in 2017 shouting at a woman who was reportedly his girlfriend, manhandling her and calling her names, in a confrontation allegedly broken up by a teammate.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
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
-
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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Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello is accusing Chappell Roan‘s team of mistreating his 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in São Paulo.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
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Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The men who are in the legislature’s top leadership positions maul the budget the committee chaired by two diligent women adopts after weeks of hearings and deliberations.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
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Suffice it to say, sweet Amy getting mauled to death rattles everyone at the Ridge.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lendeborg had a highlight-reel dunk by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Lendeborg had a highlight-reel moment by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
John Wawrow,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The American always had the engine and work rate to flit between defensive and attacking duties in a central midfield berth.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Santos and Langdon both attack things pretty head on.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For Bob Work, the big red flag came with reports that Iran appeared to have damaged two half-billion-dollar radar installations at the outset of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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Rescue workers said the direct hit in Arad caused widespread damage across at least 10 apartment buildings, three of them badly damaged and in danger of collapsing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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