as in mismanagement
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1
as in abusing
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 manhandling
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damaging
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 mishandling
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The agency has faced lawsuits over alleged mishandling of government data and DOGE's access to sensitive personal information.
—ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026
Hoping for justice Damage has been done by the mishandling of Thomas’ case, Friedland said — to him, their son, and Thomas’ family.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Instead of taking responsibility for the mishandling of the snow removal, Bilandic lashed out, saying police would be ticketing vehicles and ordering them towed if not removed from Chicago’s streets.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Ticketmaster, which sold most of the tickets, was sued by fans for its mishandling of ticket sales, prompting an investigation by the Justice Department.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
The leak sparked fears about the potential mishandling of classified national security information.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The mishandling of his status and the confusion about his availability led the NFL to investigate the matter, which has now led to a massive fine for the Ravens organization.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
That Trump has been singularly focused on pop culture comes at a time when his reputation — and that of his administration — has been under fire due to the mishandling of the Epstein files.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Rourke admitted to mishandling his career in his Instagram video.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
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
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
This isn’t the first time a third-party vendor has come under scrutiny for mishandling sensitive user information for Discord, which is popular among gamers, students, influencers, tech professionals, and other communities.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Anutin has been prime minister only since last September, after serving in the Cabinet of his immediate predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced out of office for an ethics violation regarding mishandling relations with Cambodia.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Michael is approved by the late singer’s estate, which has been handling—or, by some accounts, mishandling—the legal rights of Jackson’s accusers in relation to the story.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 2 Feb. 2026
The Justice Department recently submitted new information in a court case involving the Social Security Administration, which reveals alleged mishandling of personal data at the agency.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
The inquiry into Kent’s alleged mishandling of classified information reportedly predates his resignation, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter, Semafor first reported.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The agency has faced lawsuits over alleged mishandling of government data and DOGE's access to sensitive personal information.
—ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026
Hoping for justice Damage has been done by the mishandling of Thomas’ case, Friedland said — to him, their son, and Thomas’ family.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
Instead of taking responsibility for the mishandling of the snow removal, Bilandic lashed out, saying police would be ticketing vehicles and ordering them towed if not removed from Chicago’s streets.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Ticketmaster, which sold most of the tickets, was sued by fans for its mishandling of ticket sales, prompting an investigation by the Justice Department.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
The leak sparked fears about the potential mishandling of classified national security information.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2025
The mishandling of his status and the confusion about his availability led the NFL to investigate the matter, which has now led to a massive fine for the Ravens organization.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
That Trump has been singularly focused on pop culture comes at a time when his reputation — and that of his administration — has been under fire due to the mishandling of the Epstein files.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
According to an arrest record, the first of Brown’s victims came forward in 2024 to report possible mishandling of his case to the state’s Criminal Investigation Division.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Rourke admitted to mishandling his career in his Instagram video.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
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
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
This isn’t the first time a third-party vendor has come under scrutiny for mishandling sensitive user information for Discord, which is popular among gamers, students, influencers, tech professionals, and other communities.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Anutin has been prime minister only since last September, after serving in the Cabinet of his immediate predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced out of office for an ethics violation regarding mishandling relations with Cambodia.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Michael is approved by the late singer’s estate, which has been handling—or, by some accounts, mishandling—the legal rights of Jackson’s accusers in relation to the story.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 2 Feb. 2026
The Justice Department recently submitted new information in a court case involving the Social Security Administration, which reveals alleged mishandling of personal data at the agency.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandling
Noun
-
This industry was already in trouble before the war, due to a combination of sanctions, mismanagement, and capital flight.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Some environmentalists contend that the forest is its own best steward and doesn’t need more human tinkering to cure a century of mismanagement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Although this may change, as people who have acquired Irish citizenship but aren't Irish-born are abusing it, adding to the immigration woes in Britain.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The thought of giving a platform to someone abusing their staff is something to lose both my appetite and sleep over.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The round caused a severe hand injury, damaging multiple fingers and resulting in significant loss of functionality, according to police.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
One of Scarpetta’s digressions in particular is damaging to the show’s fortunes.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
May Help Kids With Bullying Research published in JAMA Pediatrics based on a survey of nearly 19,000 students found clear associations between cyberbullying and anxiety, depression, and substance misuse.—
Erica Jackson Curran,
Parents,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Some artists worry about misuse or losing control of their voice and likeness.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Iran's state television said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would be attacking oil and gas infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after an attack on facilities associated with its offshore South Pars natural gas field.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The jury acquitted Contreras-Gafaro of nine additional charges, including theft in a range of $20,000 to $100,000, felony menacing, third-degree assault, child abuse, false imprisonment and criminal mischief, according to court records.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Overcrowding, abuse, and neglect have made conditions far worse, and basic agency oversight has been gutted.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandling. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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