1
as in abused
to put to a bad or improper use
an actor who misused his considerable talent by appearing in too many lousy movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullied
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
sadly misused by the people he had trusted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of misused
Several initial reports speculated that his resignation stemmed from the ongoing federal probe into whether union officials misused licensed funds for personal enrichment.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
And in a country where Bollywood stars and social media influencers heavily shape body image, doctors worry the drugs could be misused.
—Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
This term is sometimes misused to describe how easy a plant is to grow.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
The scale of the exposure has raised new concerns about how consumer data can be misused long after a breach occurs.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Marshall exposed that funds intended for inmate rehabilitation and reform were misappropriated or misused, leading to failures in implementing the Act and poor staff, inmate, and public outcomes.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Months after her move, Murillo was the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit by a KCPS teacher alleging that Murillo misused district funds from the East High School budget.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
—Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The government denied that DOGE had misused private data held by Social Security.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
And in a country where Bollywood stars and social media influencers heavily shape body image, doctors worry the drugs could be misused.
—Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
This term is sometimes misused to describe how easy a plant is to grow.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2026
The scale of the exposure has raised new concerns about how consumer data can be misused long after a breach occurs.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Marshall exposed that funds intended for inmate rehabilitation and reform were misappropriated or misused, leading to failures in implementing the Act and poor staff, inmate, and public outcomes.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Months after her move, Murillo was the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit by a KCPS teacher alleging that Murillo misused district funds from the East High School budget.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Money questions Another nonprofit is suing Hunger Busters, claiming Phillips misused grant money.
—Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The government denied that DOGE had misused private data held by Social Security.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misused
abused
Verb
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Her relationship with her daughter, Caroline Darian, has been especially tense, as Darian felt her mother wasn’t supportive enough of her concerns that she might have been abused by her father.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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Dacoda Jones filed the lawsuit on Monday in Dallas County District Court, which alleges that Rice abused her numerous times from December of 2023 through July of 2025.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misused. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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