Synonyms of misusing

misusing

verb

present participle of misuse

1

as in abusing

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

• abusing
• misapplying
• perverting
• prostituting
• profaning
• degrading
• twisting
• misemploying
• corrupting
• mismanaging
• desecrating
• debasing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• using
• applying
• employing
• utilizing
• respecting

2

as in bullying

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

sadly misused by the people he had trusted

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of misusing

This comes six months after a jury found Rinsch guilty of misusing funds in connection with the production of an unfinished Netflix series. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 29 June 2026

But he was ejected from the company in 1973 for allegedly misusing corporate funds, and pleaded guilty to tax evasion. — Chris Morris, Variety, 22 June 2026

Heinrich also accused Ingram of misusing public funds for his own travel and accommodations. — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 17 June 2026

Some city leaders had also dinged the county for misusing homelessness money generated from a previous sales tax and argued this new pot of dollars would be handled no better. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

Police arrested Brown that night and charged him with misusing 911. — Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026

Furthermore, a recent Financial Times investigation revealed that even when AI developers implement guardrails to prevent bad actors from misusing them, protections can be bypassed using openly available software tools in less than 10 minutes. — Mohammad Hosseini, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026

Warren Fairley — who briefly took over as Boilermakers president in 2023 after Jones was ousted by his executive council for misusing union money — and Jones’ son, Cullen Jones, pleaded guilty in March to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of embezzlement from a labor organization. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026

He was charged with misusing 911, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault on a law enforcement officer. — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026