mishandled

verb

past tense of mishandle
1
as in abused
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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2
as in attacked
to abuse physically adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound

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3
as in mismanaged
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

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 mishandled That law provided a narrow path to freedom if Galloway could find crucial new evidence or prove that previous lawyers had mishandled the case. — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 The Fed’s watchdog said renovations were mishandled, but no laws were broken. — Alec Dent, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026 Ryan Vilade and Diaz walked and as the Yankees mishandled a throw in attempting a double play on Liam Hicks’ grounder, Vilade made a heads-up dash for home. — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026 The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered the state Court of Appeals to take another look at the life sentence given to Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter, including whether his trial attorneys mishandled a defense expert's testimony. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 An inconspicuous back pass to the Rapids’ third-string goalkeeper, Adam Beaudry, was mishandled. — Spencer Baldwin, Denver Post, 17 Sep. 2026 According to The Athletic, attorney Rob Carey is representing his family and said the university mishandled the investigation into his medical emergency. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 Over his two-hour closing, Sanft claimed that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department mishandled the search for the Cadillac, allowed unauthorized people to access the case file, and lost police reports during a technology upgrade. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026 Merrill walked and Bogaerts singled to start the fifth inning, and the Padres loaded the bases when Mateo mishandled Austin Hays’ grounder to second. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandled
  1. abused
  2. attacked
  3. damaged
  4. bullied
  5. manhandled
  6. violated
  7. mistreated
  8. mauled
Verb
  • The charges come with additional special allegations, around the victim’s vulnerability and that Tapia abused a trustworthy position.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Early American corporate charters, after all, were granted for limited public purposes and could be revoked when abused.
    — Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • Authorities said John had been a special needs student at the school and had attacked a classroom with special needs students.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • On Friday, settlers attacked the village as residents, accompanied by peace activists, set out early for the harvest.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • The bottom of the walls was damaged; these surfaces are not smooth and easily cleanable.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • But cars have been burned, trees damaged and people hurt in communities across the Palestinian territory, with some people calling this the most dangerous season yet.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of damaged
Verb
  • James McAvoy recalls his first day on the set of Band of Brothers and says a co-star bullied him.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The psychiatrist also highlighted how Latino youth are being bullied due to their ethnic background.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bullied
Verb
  • However, that doesn’t explain how they were manhandled by the Gamecocks last week.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Being manhandled at home by a team with the sport’s sixth-lowest payroll is a negative.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of manhandled
Verb
  • In a victory for the journalists, Kelly expanded a previous, temporary ruling that the administration had violated the news outlets' Fifth Amendment right to due process.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Nevertheless, even if the amendments had met the threshold and passed, the WIAA cannot implement a policy that is in violation of Washington state law and the amendments proposed would have violated state law.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of violated
Verb
  • Last year outside attorneys spent months investigating allegations that director John Youngquist mistreated employees of color.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Ultimately, the show attempts to draw a parallel between Lizzie Borden and Aileen Wuornos, portraying them as two women abused and mistreated by society who dared to fight back.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of mistreated
Verb
  • Four days after Ismail was attacked, 63-year-old swimmer Greg O’Neill was fatally mauled by a large white shark.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • When his grandfather was mauled by a leopard caught in a trap set for an impala, however, Mgesi began to feel that the dangers of hunting wildlife outweighed its benefits for humans.
    — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of mauled

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Cite this Entry

“Mishandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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