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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandle
Since then, his administration has badly mishandled diplomatic efforts to bring about a cease-fire.
—
Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2025
Long will take over an IRS undergoing widespread change, including layoffs and voluntary retirements of tens of thousands of workers and accusations that then-Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency mishandled sensitive taxpayer data.
—Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025
According to a 2024 study by SITA, an IT company that provides bag-tracking systems to airlines, 36.1 million suitcases worldwide were mishandled in 2023, meaning 36.1 million bags were lost, delayed, damaged, or stolen.
—Jill Schildhouse, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
These reporters lamented giving something approaching equal time to Hillary Clinton’s emails, a regret that only deepened once Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents himself.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2025
Long will take over an IRS undergoing widespread change, including layoffs and voluntary retirements of tens of thousands of workers and accusations that then-Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency mishandled sensitive taxpayer data.
—Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025
According to a 2024 study by SITA, an IT company that provides bag-tracking systems to airlines, 36.1 million suitcases worldwide were mishandled in 2023, meaning 36.1 million bags were lost, delayed, damaged, or stolen.
—Jill Schildhouse, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
These reporters lamented giving something approaching equal time to Hillary Clinton’s emails, a regret that only deepened once Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents himself.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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According to prosecutors, Maxwell helped Jeffrey Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse minor girls from about 1994 to about 2004, including girls as young as 14 years old.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
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At the time of her death, Sardinha was studying to become a counselor with the hope of working with women who had been abused, her mother told Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael J. Leversen.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
25 July 2025
Verb
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He can be physically manhandled when attempting to seal powerful defensive ends and needs to be more assertive with his hands to keep his target engaged as a run blocker.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
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So maybe the real culprit is the attempt to manhandle her sensibility into a studio-horror sequel.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 July 2025
Verb
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The Fed’s handling of its renovation, which administration officials are describing as mismanaged, could be used as one step in a possible pathway for Trump to sack Powell.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
14 July 2025
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Trump officials have also claimed Powell has mismanaged the Fed and point to renovations of the central bank’s headquarters, with National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett even indicating that Powell’s job could be at stake.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Women are often mistreated with aggressive surgical techniques that can be avoided.—
Nkem Osian,
Baltimore Sun,
23 July 2025
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In court, McGuire's parents, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, alleged that Young mistreated their daughter, per ABC.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
18 July 2025
Verb
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The incident came 15 months after a cougar fatally mauled an El Dorado County man and severely injured his brother, the first fatal mountain lion attack in California in 20 years, according to previous Bee reporting.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2025
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However, footage of a live shark mauling the empty cage was so exciting that Spielberg wanted to incorporate it in the film.—
Jim Beckerman,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Verb
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During his childhood, he was isolated and bullied and eventually became addicted to heroin and struggled with his weight.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
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Edmondson bullied Lapin the entire round and the Ukrainian looked gas.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Huckabee also visited the Christian community of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday after a church was reportedly attacked and vandalized by Israeli settlers.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
22 July 2025
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Amorim needs a mobile centre forward capable of attacking open space at speed and offering a threat in quick transition.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
14 July 2025
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Anything that damages the trust between the vendor, Microsoft, and the user is as much a threat as the hackers themselves, in my never humble opinion.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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