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
Anthropic is also testing its latest Mythos model with a select group of companies; the Claude developer claims these restrictions are necessary to ensure the model can’t be misused upon a more public release.
—
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
In February, conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert filed a complaint to the Federal Elections Committee alleging Swalwell misused campaign finance funds on child care for his three children.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The affidavit also alleges that, during his role as chief, Cantrell misused official information to conduct criminal searches on people involved in a lawsuit with Ashley Ketcherside, including a public official.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
Amid the backdrop of the war in Iran, Leo has repeatedly warned in recent days that violence is becoming normalized and that religious language is at risk of being misused to justify it.
—Chris Livesay, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
In the past, doing all the risk assessments and necessary evaluations to ensure funds are not misused, can take a year or more.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
The Inspector General closed the final investigation in 2022, saying there was no proof Hernandez had misused her position, engaged in conflicts of interest or accepted financial incentives.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Federal authorities framed the case as an example of how AI can be misused to exploit digital payment systems at scale.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Denver’s previous vendor, Flock Safety, misused data, and that contract was terminated.
—Michael Hancock, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
In February, conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert filed a complaint to the Federal Elections Committee alleging Swalwell misused campaign finance funds on child care for his three children.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The affidavit also alleges that, during his role as chief, Cantrell misused official information to conduct criminal searches on people involved in a lawsuit with Ashley Ketcherside, including a public official.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
Amid the backdrop of the war in Iran, Leo has repeatedly warned in recent days that violence is becoming normalized and that religious language is at risk of being misused to justify it.
—Chris Livesay, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
In the past, doing all the risk assessments and necessary evaluations to ensure funds are not misused, can take a year or more.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
The Inspector General closed the final investigation in 2022, saying there was no proof Hernandez had misused her position, engaged in conflicts of interest or accepted financial incentives.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Federal authorities framed the case as an example of how AI can be misused to exploit digital payment systems at scale.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Denver’s previous vendor, Flock Safety, misused data, and that contract was terminated.
—Michael Hancock, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misused
abused
Verb
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Vinicius Jr had alleged that Prestianni had racially abused him, which Prestianni denied on social media.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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During opening statements in her trial on Tuesday, May 5, prosecutors said Lauren Maloberti abused and neglected the boy and failed to seek prompt medical treatment as his condition deteriorated, according to TribLive and WTAE.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misused. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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