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
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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
The year before that, the FTC dinged WW International, formerly Weight Watchers, for illegally collecting and mishandling data from Kurbo, a weight loss app for children.
—
Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Over the next 15 months, Alameda County social workers received at least seven reports that the girl was being abused — warnings that repeatedly were mishandled or went unheeded, according to an investigation by the Bay Area News Group.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Like investigations were getting mishandled, employee investigations — which are a very big deal.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Rourke admitted to mishandling his career in his Instagram video.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Over the next 15 months, Alameda County social workers received at least seven reports that the girl was being abused — warnings that repeatedly were mishandled or went unheeded, according to an investigation by the Bay Area News Group.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Like investigations were getting mishandled, employee investigations — which are a very big deal.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Rourke admitted to mishandling his career in his Instagram video.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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The Federal Trade Commission, 18 states and Puerto Rico have accused the company of abusing its market position to inflate prices on other online retail platforms, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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The foster parents and their adult daughter pleaded guilty to abusing children in their care.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Boston also struggled with its perimeter shooting (eight made 3-pointers on a season-low-tying 28 attempts) but manhandled the Raptors inside, setting a new franchise record for points in the paint (76) in the play-by-play era.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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But this year’s edition could be the best one yet, and the Wolverines will get a chance to prove that next week in Indianapolis after manhandling Tennessee 95-62 yesterday at the United Center to clinch a spot in the Final Four.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 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
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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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Last year, a Dane County judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms after former employees testified that dogs were being mistreated, including having eye surgeries performed on them without general anesthesia.—
Quinn Clark,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, tax collector Tina Koren is facing criminal charges for allegedly using her role to harass and mistreat her neighbors, officials said Wednesday.—
Terra Sullivan,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eyeballs are unhoused, teeth are transplanted, a body crashes into a windshield before being mauled by wolves for good measure.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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The ban was previously enacted in 2009 after a resident was mauled by a pitbull.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On an afternoon Brandt Clarke, Adrian Kempe and Drew Doughty took turns trying to bully the Avalanche, Colorado reached around and gave the Kings a Wedgie.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
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People just want to bully and get the likes and say the rage bait comment.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When Sibomana-Rodriguez was 6 years old and living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he, his cousin and his brother were attacked by a swarm of chimpanzees.—
Daniel S. Levine,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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Be sure that the rear lure always has a hook, as the bass typically key in on the ‘straggler’ when attacking a ball of bait.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Washington’s version of McCall is disciplined but damaged, and possibly afflicted with something like obsessive-compulsive disorder.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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In fact, Gerrod Moore, a brand manager of Maytag advises against uninformed stainless steel cleaning experimentation, because some kitchen cleaning go-to's like bleach, glass cleaner, abrasive cleaners, and steel wool may damage the metal.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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