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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Recent Examples of mishandling
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
Leavitt’s statement confirms speculation that the federal government is weighing whether to hold Walz responsible for his alleged mishandling of the fraud investigations in his state.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 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
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
Consistent with all applicable laws, NSA investigates any mishandling or unauthorized disclosure of intelligence and partners closely with Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ensure the necessary steps are taken to hold those accountable.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 8 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
Federal officials also denied Minnesota state investigators access to the shooting scene in south Minneapolis, prompting local and state officials to accuse the Homeland Security agency of mishandling evidence.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
However, your friends are blaming you for asking valid questions of someone who is mishandling funds and directly impacting your quality of life.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Historical accounts show that Capo associate Joey Garofano disappeared after mishandling aspects of the Weiss hit.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Noun
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
Leavitt’s statement confirms speculation that the federal government is weighing whether to hold Walz responsible for his alleged mishandling of the fraud investigations in his state.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 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
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
Consistent with all applicable laws, NSA investigates any mishandling or unauthorized disclosure of intelligence and partners closely with Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ensure the necessary steps are taken to hold those accountable.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 8 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
Federal officials also denied Minnesota state investigators access to the shooting scene in south Minneapolis, prompting local and state officials to accuse the Homeland Security agency of mishandling evidence.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
However, your friends are blaming you for asking valid questions of someone who is mishandling funds and directly impacting your quality of life.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Historical accounts show that Capo associate Joey Garofano disappeared after mishandling aspects of the Weiss hit.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandling
Noun
-
Khamanei’s rule was marked by mismanagement, and ultimately ended with one of the more brutal episodes of his trademark repression – the violence his regime meted out to keep power.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Years of sanctions, economic mismanagement and corruption have gutted Iran’s economy.—
Lee Keath,
Fortune,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While multiple members of the network have been arrested in recent years, thousands of members are still spread across the globe abusing children.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Farmer reported Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to law enforcement in 1996 for abusing her and her younger sister in New York City.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
That’s exactly how the Miami Dolphins performed in Sunday’s 30-13 win against the Buffalo Bills in a contest Miami controlled all game, manhandling the reigning AFC East division champions to prove that the 2025 season isn’t over.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Strikes have continued throughout the weekend, killing civilians, damaging property and bringing air and water traffic to a standstill.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The death toll rose to 22 on Saturday from the crash of a military plane carrying 18 tons of new banknotes a day earlier near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles and scattering bills on the ground, a police commander said Saturday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Under California law, police agencies are required to adopt detailed usage and privacy policies governing license plate data, restrict access to authorized purposes, and regularly audit searches to prevent misuse.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
In the nonprofit and governmental finance world, auditors are required to assess not only whether fraud has occurred but whether systems of internal control are designed and operating effectively to prevent and detect material misstatements or misuse of funds.—
Helen Amos,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Weinstein and his lawyers argued that the retrial verdict was tainted by infighting and bullying among jurors.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
In refusing to bow to an administration that has been intent on bullying private companies into submission, Amodei and his team are taking a bold stand on ethical grounds, and risking a censure that could erode Anthropic’s long-term viability.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of attacking, linemen are often tasked with reading, reacting and playing two different gaps.—
Joseph Hoyt,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Some ghouls lose their humanity, while others become more violent shells of their former selves, attacking the wasteland creatures and the player.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
A lot of these soldiers have high divorce rates, high amounts of alcoholism and abuse of pharmaceuticals.—
William Earl,
Variety,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Fake tax preparers and PTIN abuse Another trend in 2026 involves tax preparer credentials.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandling. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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