Synonyms of mishandling

mishandling 1 of 2

noun

as in mismanagement

Related Words

• mismanagement
• misuse
• abuse
• misapplication
• mismanaging
• mistreatment
• maltreatment
• perversion
• misusage
• ill-treatment
• destruction
• wrecking
• misemployment
• misutilization
• spoiling
• damage
• ill-usage
• desecration
• debasement
• corruption
• profanation
• ruin
• prostitution

Dissimilar Words

• use
• application
• employment
• utilization

mishandling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mishandle

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abusing
• bullying
• mistreating
• misusing
• manhandling
• torturing
• brutalizing
• violating
• injuring
• taking apart
• maltreating
• hurting
• oppressing
• ill-treating
• ill-using
• messing over
• persecuting
• harassing
• kicking around
• molesting
• harming
• tormenting
• outraging
• working (over)
• victimizing
• wronging
• sandbagging
• beating (up)
• burning
• roughing (up)
• messing (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fostering
• caring (for)
• nurturing
• cherishing
• favoring
• gratifying
• spoiling
• indulging
• catering (to)
• coddling
• humoring
• pampering
• babying
• mollycoddling

2

as in manhandling

to abuse physically

adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abusing
• manhandling
• attacking
• mauling
• maltreating
• ambushing
• torturing
• injuring
• roughing (up)
• misusing
• beating
• mistreating
• hurting
• battering
• slapping
• wounding
• harming
• fighting
• licking
• wrestling
• pummeling
• persecuting
• bashing
• lambasting
• knocking
• thrashing
• buffeting
• roughhousing
• hitting
• ill-treating
• pounding
• ill-using
• assailing
• wronging
• oppressing
• jumping
• tormenting
• clobbering
• drubbing
• pommeling
• ganging up (on)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fondling
• caressing
• petting
• coddling
• fostering
• pampering
• caring (for)
• nurturing
• mollycoddling

3

as in damaging

to manage badly

we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damaging
• mismanaging
• violating
• abusing
• misconducting
• misgoverning
• mistreating
• misusing
• maladministering
• misruling
• bungling
• harming
• hurting
• maltreating
• botching
• ill-treating
• ill-using

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• handling
• governing
• managing
• ruling
• protecting
• helping
• caring (for)
• husbanding
• aiding
• nurturing
• rescuing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mishandling

Noun

Trump’s mishandling of China policy has opened space for a new strategy. — Ali Wyne, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2026

But the alliance between big tech and the film world hasn’t been without substantial friction; take Amazon’s mishandling of Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026

Four years before that, the governor ordered an independent review into capital punishment after abruptly stopping the April 2022 execution of Oscar Smith in the 11th hour when officials became aware of a mishandling of the drugs. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

The bill was ushered through the state General Assembly after the discovery of extensive mishandling of bodies at a Carlinville funeral home, where at least 80 families were given the wrong remains. — Casey Toner, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Welch has described his mishandling of this matter as a systemic failure. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Hur, following his investigation into Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, released a lengthy report in February 2024 that concluded no criminal charges were warranted against Biden. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026

Shilts made history as the first out gay reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, and then again with this landmark book about the mishandling of the AIDS crisis in its early days. — Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 June 2026

The mishandling of pregnancies behind bars is a widespread problem, with women around the country saying they were neglected or harmed while they were locked up. — Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 13 May 2026

Verb

The Democrat touted his experience responding to the pandemic and negotiating lower drug prices, but critics, including some inside the administration, accused him of passivity and of mishandling an influx in child migrants. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Like Levin, Greene pointed to Meta’s history of mishandling election content, not just in the US but around the world. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026

In higher education, despite the Regents oversight responsibilities, SED has been silent about Cornell University’s mishandling of student gang rape allegations and rampant drug abuse. — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

And if more eyes across the street from the polling station mean fewer mistakes and mishandling--in a nation in which ballot mistakes and mishandling are exceedingly rare already--then problems should be few. — Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026

Many Israelis blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to prevent the attacks, while former hostages and their families have accused it of mishandling efforts to secure the hostages’ release. — Lia Lapidot Aaron Boxerman and Lia Lapidot, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2026

Republicans have long accused the FBI of mishandling the laptop and the investigations into the younger Biden. — Ryan Lucas, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

New Mexico sued Facebook in 2021, accusing it of mishandling state residents’ personal information and deceiving those users about its policies in connection with the incident. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

In January, the FBI raided a Post reporter’s home, as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of mishandling sensitive national security information. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026