1
as in abused
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacked
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mismanaged
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 mishandled
While rare, copperheads can bite if they’re mishandled or feel threatened.
—
Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
No after-action reports were needed to know that Los Angeles badly mishandled last January’s fires, which damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 structures, burned more than 37,000 acres and resulted in 31 direct deaths.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
The wrongful death lawsuits allege that police and hospital staff mishandled multiple things.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
In a recent Instagram post, Pintacura said Thieme misappropriated state funds and grossly mishandled budget protocols.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
The families have filed a lawsuit against The Joshua School, alleging that school officials mishandled their concerns and never reported suspicions of abuse to outside authorities, enabling the monitor’s abuse.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
That decision made clear to us that minimizing liability mattered more than accountability for an antisemitic act and examining how school leadership handled – and then mishandled – what occurred.
—Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The Justice Department admitted that two members of the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk at one point last year, may have mishandled Social Security data by using it to match with state voter rolls in violation of the Hatch Act.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 20 Jan. 2026
Airlines mishandled over 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters in 2024, a slight improvement from the previous year.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
No after-action reports were needed to know that Los Angeles badly mishandled last January’s fires, which damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 structures, burned more than 37,000 acres and resulted in 31 direct deaths.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
The wrongful death lawsuits allege that police and hospital staff mishandled multiple things.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
In a recent Instagram post, Pintacura said Thieme misappropriated state funds and grossly mishandled budget protocols.
—Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
The families have filed a lawsuit against The Joshua School, alleging that school officials mishandled their concerns and never reported suspicions of abuse to outside authorities, enabling the monitor’s abuse.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
That decision made clear to us that minimizing liability mattered more than accountability for an antisemitic act and examining how school leadership handled – and then mishandled – what occurred.
—Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The Justice Department admitted that two members of the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk at one point last year, may have mishandled Social Security data by using it to match with state voter rolls in violation of the Hatch Act.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 20 Jan. 2026
Airlines mishandled over 11,000 wheelchairs and scooters in 2024, a slight improvement from the previous year.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandled
Verb
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Her relationship with her daughter, Caroline Darian, has been especially tense, as Darian felt her mother wasn’t supportive enough of her concerns that she might have been abused by her father.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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Dacoda Jones filed the lawsuit on Monday in Dallas County District Court, which alleges that Rice abused her numerous times from December of 2023 through July of 2025.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Until Friday, the only television advertising on Paxton’s behalf in Texas, according to the ad-tracking service AdImpact, was a spot that attacked Hunt, a two-term House member from the Houston area.—
Thomas Beaumont,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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In that non-fatal case, Homeland Security claims three undocumented men attacked a federal agent with a snow shovel and a broom, and that fearing for his life, the agent shot one of the men in the leg.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That defense straight up bullied him.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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The young boy then has to navigate being 10 and being bullied, having crushes on girls, all while older siblings Yvette (Essence Atkins) and Marcus (Jason Weaver) cringe at the thought of him being at the same high school.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Pats manhandled Denver in the AFC Championship Game, thanks mostly to defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
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Making the scene even more a spectacle was the fact that Yam Yam was literally being manhandled and dragged out of the castle while doing so.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The collapse damaged part of the Potomac Interceptor sewer system and caused an overflow of more than 200 million gallons of wastewater to flow into the Potomac River.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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Ellen Rudolph’s home was damaged in the Palisades fire and then her husband died of cancer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Several cases involve force and abuse The AP’s review found a pattern of charges involving ICE employees and contractors who mistreated vulnerable people in their care.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Rafah border crossing, meant to support the ceasefire, has seen minimal passage and reports of Palestinians being interrogated and mistreated.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lanning has been a borderline disaster in the CFP, getting squashed by Ohio State in 2024 and mauled by Indiana in 2025 (after dominating Texas Tech).—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Feb. 2026
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The family’s oldest child was once forced to watch her cat be mauled to death by feral dogs after she was caught taking food out of the pantry without permission.—
Stephanie Kaloi,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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UMass Amherst likely violated a student’s First Amendment rights when the campus suspended the pro-Palestine protester for a year, a judge has ruled.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2026
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As a result, the plaintiffs argued, the administration also violated the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by failing to consider the harmful environmental impacts of the project.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandled. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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