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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandle
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony also castigated the deputies for mishandling the 14 calls Mary made to BSO in the year leading up to her death.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump claimed Comey mishandled a 2016 probe into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private email server, but Comey also refused to pledge loyalty to the president.
—Douglas M. Charles, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
She and Sollecito were exonerated and released after four years in prison following an appeal, where the court found that Italian authorities had grossly mishandled the case.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit followed a 2022 probe into the company after a rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour came under intense scrutiny due to its mishandling.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Trump claimed Comey mishandled a 2016 probe into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private email server, but Comey also refused to pledge loyalty to the president.
—Douglas M. Charles, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
She and Sollecito were exonerated and released after four years in prison following an appeal, where the court found that Italian authorities had grossly mishandled the case.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit followed a 2022 probe into the company after a rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour came under intense scrutiny due to its mishandling.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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Why this threat matters The Deep Research agent was designed to perform multistep research and summarize online data, but its wide access to third-party apps like Gmail, Google Drive and Dropbox also opened the door to abuse.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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He was hit with a massive $50,000 fine for verbally abusing officials back in 2023, and he was slapped with a $14,000 fine for a violent gesture during a game against the Buffalo Bills last season.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Workers described incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including reports from women workers who said they had been manhandled and subjected to obscene remarks and threats.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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Vancouver completely manhandled a similarly representative Flames lineup, ultimately winning 8-1.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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They are mistreated, raped, killed.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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There have been multiple reports of children being mistreated during enforcement operations.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Branch owned both dogs that mauled Nunez, the sheriff’s office confirmed to WTOC.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
14 Oct. 2025
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The offensive line that was mauled by Michigan last year punched first and punched often on Saturday.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cipher bullies other characters across the season about their powers, but because of Andre and Polarity’s degenerative abilities, this underscores the eugenics behind his beliefs.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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He was wrapped up in a high-profile bullying scandal during the 2013 season.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the game, Elliott operated as the right ‘No 10’ (attacking midfielder), passing neatly and playing well in a first half that only offered promise in spurts.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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All patients were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy drugs that help the immune system recognize and attack tumor cells more effectively.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An artillery round fired over Interstate 5 at Sunday’s live-fire demonstration at Camp Pendleton prematurely detonated, striking and damaging a California Highway Patrol vehicle that was part of Vice President JD Vance’s detail, the CHP said Sunday.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
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Thermal runaway, or self-heating, can occur without warning in lithium batteries as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged or improperly packed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His conviction stemmed from a series of criminal schemes, including submitting false campaign finance documents, misusing donor identities to route funds for personal and campaign use, and providing fraudulent information to the New York State Department of Labor and the House of Representatives.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Some airports — including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International — are refusing to play the video, which has been criticized for misusing federal dollars to impose a partisan message on passengers waiting to be screened at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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