as in anarchy
a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority
the country's long period of misrule left it in economic turmoil for over a decade
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to misconduct
to manage badly
accused of misruling his island nation to the point of economic collapse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misrule
Elian Peltier, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The 22-year-old Palestinian man joined protests in the Gaza Strip last week to demand an end to 18 years of Hamas’ violent misrule in the territory.
—Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025
Congo had been brutally misruled by Belgium for over 70 years when the winds of change blew through in the late 1950s.
—Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for misrule
Noun
Other observers said that General Nguema had mainly benefited from the Gabonese people’s disenchantment with decades of misrule.
—Elian Peltier, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The 22-year-old Palestinian man joined protests in the Gaza Strip last week to demand an end to 18 years of Hamas’ violent misrule in the territory.
—Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
The result is a society that feels both rule-bound and misruled, saturated with laws and yet strangely lawless.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025
Congo had been brutally misruled by Belgium for over 70 years when the winds of change blew through in the late 1950s.
—Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for misrule
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misrule
Noun
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Flynn said the rally should have never been allowed to escalate to the point of anarchy.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
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Other dystopian genre films like The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston, or World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, imagine the anarchy coming from a virus that breaks society and turns neighbors into literal zombies.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many of us were abused by them.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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The first is the publication of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, released in October, which contained her allegations against Andrew and the wider story of her being abused by Epstein.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But a ruling class that systematically blinds itself to the most profound longings of human beings will misunderstand and misgovern those under its sway.—
Benjamin and Jenna Storey,
WSJ,
12 Oct. 2021
Verb
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Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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This protection also works to protect plants that are marginally hardy in your area, such as hydrangeas blooming on old wood that may not bloom if their flower buds are damaged by cold.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In August 2024, the Hales Corners Library Board voted unanimously to keep the books in the library's circulation and concluded Lewis-Lane and library staff did not violate library policies.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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But Comey's attorneys raised separate concerns that by using those materials at all, the government may have violated Comey's rights -- not just by reviewing potentially privileged information, but also by revisiting evidence obtained by warrants that would now be considered stale.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misrule.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misrule. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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