Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mangle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mangle are batter, cripple, maim, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When would batter be a good substitute for mangle?

Although the words batter and mangle have much in common, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When could cripple be used to replace mangle?

While in some cases nearly identical to mangle, cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When is maim a more appropriate choice than mangle?

The meanings of maim and mangle largely overlap; however, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

Where would mutilate be a reasonable alternative to mangle?

The synonyms mutilate and mangle are sometimes interchangeable, but mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mangle Hertz grew up skateboarding in Dogtown and then, in the evening, peeking at his dad’s slides of faces horribly burned and mangled. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2025 McCarthy gives a great performance, playing up the press secretary’s more boorish traits as a gum-guzzling loudmouth that mangles words and twists facts like pretzels. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025 Torrey Pines was the site of his last top-10 finish on the PGA Tour in 2020, a year before Woods badly mangled his right leg in a car crash on a coastal Los Angeles road. Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025 The plane was found upside-down in three sections in shallow water – including the partly submerged wing and mangled fuselage. Ray Sanchez and Chelsea Bailey, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangle
Verb
  • During the Mets’ loss to the Marlins, Vientos was jogging to first base when Miami’s Graham Pauley fumbled the ball.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The characters in Megan Howell’s short stories, which glide into scenes of magical realism, are lonely people facing the harsh realities of an often violent world and fumbling toward something more hopeful.
    Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • April 17, 2025 The wind gusts could blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may occur, the National Weather Service advised.
    Ashley Fredde, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For the sake of clarity, this collection focuses specifically on the PlayStation versions of both games dubbed Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete.
    David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • And while the all-female crew aboard the Blue Origin’s Spaceflight has been dubbed historic, King’s longtime best friend, Oprah Winfrey, got emotional during take off.
    Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Justin Champagnie hit a 3-pointer, the Heat had a backcourt violation and then Carrington ruined Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 40-point game by dropping this dagger on him.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Deborah botches the presser that follows by refusing to respond to ageist, sexist questions with witty banter — a totally foreseeable scenario that Ava anticipated and prepared for, but Deborah tossed Ava’s jokes in the trash.
    Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
  • To read Scott is to feel the fatalistic sense that civilization may have been botched from the beginning.
    Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Beef tallow is the fat rendered off from the fat trimmings and leftovers from butchering cows, which can include organs and other meat, said Dr. Eric Decker, a professor of food science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
  • Prehistoric humans had used the site for roughly 300 years as a place to butcher and process animal carcasses.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Has Trump bungled the economy? President Donald Trump’s approval ratings on the economy and inflation have fallen after weeks of tariff policy twists and turmoil in the stock market, according to a new poll.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
  • These are times the team put themselves in a position to pick up one point — and sometimes two — and bungled it.
    Peter Baugh, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities.
    Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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