1
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
having been shuffled from foster home to foster home, the orphaned girl felt she had been mishandled by an uncaring society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mismanage
to manage badly
we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 mishandle
Hours before tipoff, Donovan warned about the dangers of mishandling the ball in transition.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Why Did Joe Biden Free Leonard Peltier? Peltier's supporters say that he was wrongfully convicted, with many arguing that evidence against him was fabricated or mishandled.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
An arraignment as cause for celebration Image Mr. Trump was indicted for the second time, in Florida in June 2023, on federal charges related to mishandling classified documents.
—Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump, who has claimed his own prosecution for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and for allegedly mishandling classified documents is politically motivated, has appeared sympathetic to Adams.
—Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mishandle 
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Why Did Joe Biden Free Leonard Peltier? Peltier's supporters say that he was wrongfully convicted, with many arguing that evidence against him was fabricated or mishandled.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
An arraignment as cause for celebration Image Mr. Trump was indicted for the second time, in Florida in June 2023, on federal charges related to mishandling classified documents.
—Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump, who has claimed his own prosecution for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and for allegedly mishandling classified documents is politically motivated, has appeared sympathetic to Adams.
—Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
-
Today, Hildebrandt is behind bars after pleading guilty to abusing the children of family vlogger and business partner Ruby Franke, who also pleaded guilty to the same crimes and is currently in prison.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
6 Feb. 2025
-
This perk can be abused in all horse races – like the wager in Kingdom Come 2's Miri Fajta quest – to win easily.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But much of the NL Central seems stagnant, the NL West has the Colorado Rockies to kick around, and the NL East can manhandle the Miami Marlins.—
Chad Jennings,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Arrested, we were manhandled and taken at frighteningly high speeds to a Polish police station.—
Avi Weiss,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Some hideously mismanaged childhood vaccination in Leningrad created a thick keloid scar running the length of my right shoulder.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
-
The Gophers men’s basketball team mismanaged its way to only 12 points through 16-plus minutes in Tuesday’s first half at Michigan State.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In some cases, the animals were mistreated and have found a sanctuary at the rescue.—
Dana Cadey,
The Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2025
-
Kingsley’s political views thus display a tension between his desire to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and mistreated and his racist tendency to blame groups for their own poor conditions.—
Ben Woollard,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
After getting mauled on the glass for much of the season, St. Thomas has now out-rebounded each of its last three opponents – all three victories following the loss to Nebraska-Omaha.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2025
-
In 2016, a keeper wearing a panda suit was attacked and mauled by a protective mother bear who mistook him as an intruder on her territory.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Just like the previous derby at Goodison, a 2-0 defeat last April, they got bullied at times and were knocked out of their stride.—
James Pearce,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
-
This past Sunday’s Super Bowl blowout — the Philadelphia Eagles bullied the two-time reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 – represents a blueprint for the 49ers’ future success.—
Cam Inman,
The Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The mob attacked the sick and elderly and raped multiple women, according to the report.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN,
16 Feb. 2025
-
When that extreme trend was pointed out to Suzuki, the Cubs hitting infrastructure worked with him to look for moments to be aggressive and attack the first pitch.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The freeze on foreign aid, for example, is already damaging the network of groups the federal government relies on to deliver overseas assistance, according to Scott R. Anderson, a former U.S. diplomat and government attorney now at the Brookings Institution.—
Josh Meyer,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Sudden weather shifts have become more frequent, and winter freeze-and-thaw cycles can damage plants as much as bitter cold.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near mishandle
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share