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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandled
Pratt’s Office of Student Protections alleged Thuet mishandled that case.
—
Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
The case alleges Wilder mishandled Portalatin’s custody case in a Tarrant County family court.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following his whistleblower complaint alleging that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mishandled sensitive personal data of over 300 million Americans.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
On Seattle’s final offensive play, Milroe mishandled a snap, essentially ending the game.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Another Reddit user alleged that the rollout was deliberately mishandled to frame the subsequent reversal as a calculated move, to make OpenAI’s leadership appear responsive.
—Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The process lacked transparency, the Council failed to communicate proactively and critical aspects — like comments to Chief Jennings and the settlement breakdown — were mishandled.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
The Red Sox got the potential tying run on base with two outs in the top of the eighth when Romy Gonzalez hit a soft grounder to shortstop that was mishandled by Jeremy Peña, but the club couldn’t capitalize after Gonzalez was thrown out trying to steal second.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Trump has argued higher rates are stifling growth and hurting American homeowners and businesses and demanded drastic rate cuts of up to three percentage points—a move economists warn could risk unleashing new inflation if mishandled.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
The case alleges Wilder mishandled Portalatin’s custody case in a Tarrant County family court.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following his whistleblower complaint alleging that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mishandled sensitive personal data of over 300 million Americans.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
On Seattle’s final offensive play, Milroe mishandled a snap, essentially ending the game.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Another Reddit user alleged that the rollout was deliberately mishandled to frame the subsequent reversal as a calculated move, to make OpenAI’s leadership appear responsive.
—Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The process lacked transparency, the Council failed to communicate proactively and critical aspects — like comments to Chief Jennings and the settlement breakdown — were mishandled.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
The Red Sox got the potential tying run on base with two outs in the top of the eighth when Romy Gonzalez hit a soft grounder to shortstop that was mishandled by Jeremy Peña, but the club couldn’t capitalize after Gonzalez was thrown out trying to steal second.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Trump has argued higher rates are stifling growth and hurting American homeowners and businesses and demanded drastic rate cuts of up to three percentage points—a move economists warn could risk unleashing new inflation if mishandled.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandled
Verb
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Trump contends blue slips are being abused as a tool of partisan obstruction.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
-
To an aspiring autocrat, power exists so that it can be abused.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tonges, who before Sunday’s game had never caught a regular-season pass, attacked the ball and gave San Francisco the lead.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The occurrences grew more aggressive over time, with the Smurls' 75-pound German shepherd getting slammed into a wall and Jack getting attacked while praying.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The first touchdown of the year was bullied into the end zone by Williams, who wouldn’t be done in this game.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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The documentary tells the true story of a teenage couple relentlessly bullied via text by an anonymous harasser.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Early indications suggest they are still getting manhandled up front.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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The Vikings manhandled the Patriots’ defensive front, yielding just two sacks after allowing close to 10 the day before.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In general, policies provide coverage for food if the power outage was the result of a natural occurrence, such as a storm that damaged a power source outside of your home, Irey says.—
Kristine Gill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Sep. 2025
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An unprecedented marine heatwave in 2023 caused bleaching events that severely damaged many of Florida's reefs.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Federal and county officials deny Alexa was mistreated.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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From the perspective of Bondi and her supporters, the dog drama underscored her tenacity in defense of the vulnerable and mistreated.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Charlotte had fallen 34-11 to Appalachian State in a loss the week before, and the Tar Heels had gotten mauled, 48-14, in Chapel Hill by TCU.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
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Before that, the last deadly incident was in 1963, when actress Marcia Hathaway was fatally mauled by a bull shark in Middle Harbour’s shallow waters.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, a Minnesota court struck down the binary trigger ban, arguing that the legislature violated the state constitution’s single-subject clause by burying the ban inside a sprawling spending bill.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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And Congress is unlikely to grant him new tariff powers after the courts just ruled that doing so unilaterally violated the separation of powers.—
Brett Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandled. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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