mishandling 1 of 2

noun

as in mismanagement

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

mishandling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mishandle
1
as in abusing
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in manhandling
to abuse physically adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damaging
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 mishandling
Noun
The bill was ushered through the state General Assembly after the discovery of extensive mishandling of bodies at a Carlinville funeral home, where at least 80 families were given the wrong remains. — Casey Toner, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Welch has described his mishandling of this matter as a systemic failure. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Hur, following his investigation into Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, released a lengthy report in February 2024 that concluded no criminal charges were warranted against Biden. — Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026 Shilts made history as the first out gay reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, and then again with this landmark book about the mishandling of the AIDS crisis in its early days. — Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 June 2026 The mishandling of pregnancies behind bars is a widespread problem, with women around the country saying they were neglected or harmed while they were locked up. — Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 13 May 2026 Cox fired Tanner in May 1988 for his mishandling of the Braves’ young pitchers, replacing him with Nixon. — Mark Bradley For The Ajc, AJC.com, 9 May 2026 The state Department of Insurance is seeking as much as $4 million in penalties from insurance giant State Farm due to its alleged mishandling of claims filed by survivors of the January 2025 wildfires that swept through the Los Angeles area. — Amancai Biraben, Daily News, 4 May 2026 After several investigations drew attention to the mishandling of anatomical donations, lawmakers were alarmed at the lack of regulations governing body donation – and the inability of state officials to hold some companies to existing rules. — Dug Begley, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Verb
What if, instead of paying $250 million after mishandling big stock trades, Morgan Stanley simply wasn’t allowed to do those trades for a while? — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Any moment where mishandling could create extra-contractual exposure. — Manish Garg, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 An attorney representing Matthew Mayich’s family said Arizona State University is mishandling the investigation into the hockey player’s collapse and hospitalization and called on members of the coaching staff to be put on administrative leave. — Nathan Fenno, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Barry Hankerson accused Jomo Hankerson of mishandling travel arrangements for a Bahamas trip more than 25 years ago that ended in a plane crash that killed the 22-year-old singer and eight others, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 An attorney representing the Morgans, who are being sued for mishandling remains at both facilities, declined to comment. — Casey Toner, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Smith’s late mother, Melody Johnson, was cremated at the Bohemian National Cemetery and Crematorium, which is also under investigation for mishandling remains in a case related to the problems at South Chicago Chapel. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 After almost mishandling the handoff to Breece Hall on his second snap, Klubnik looked poised and comfortable. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026 During Wednesday's press conference, NAACP President Derrick Johnson accused investigators of mishandling the case. — Elise Gregg, NPR, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandling
  1. mismanagement
  2. abusing
  3. manhandling
  4. damaging
  5. misuse
  6. bullying
  7. attacking
  8. violating
Noun
  • Six months after Alec Bohm sued his parents, Daniel and Lisa Bohm, for alleged financial mismanagement, the parties settled the matter out of court.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Decades of corruption and mismanagement of the power sector have forced many businesses to use alternative sources, such as generators.
    — Light Oriye Tamunotonye, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of mismanagement
Verb
  • Communities from Lansing, Michigan, to Pflugerville, Texas, are ending their relationship with Flock, largely over concerns regarding out-of-control surveillance, unwanted data sharing, high expenses, and reports of police abusing the tool.
    — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Countless cops, meanwhile, are abusing the cameras to stalk women.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • Ashley Delaney of Polk City, who has served on the district's board since 2024, was charged in May with misdemeanor assault for allegedly manhandling the student.
    — William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But this year’s edition could be the best one yet, and the Wolverines will get a chance to prove that next week in Indianapolis after manhandling Tennessee 95-62 yesterday at the United Center to clinch a spot in the Final Four.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of manhandling
Verb
  • Importantly, all of this imaging was possible without damaging Scotty’s priceless fossils.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Smaller glass shards likely won’t cause symptoms, but bigger pieces with sharp edges run the risk of damaging the throat, stomach and intestines, according to the National Capital Poison Center.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of damaging
Noun
  • Thirteen days before Morissette’s lawsuit, Urinov filed her own claim against the singer in London’s King Bench Division, which handles cases of defamation, misuse of private information, data protection, and harassment by publication.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Flock Safety announced some changes to its policies in mid-August after reports of misuse, including requiring officers to enter specific codes.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of misuse
Verb
  • Marie-Louise is enraged one minute, subservient the next, bullying the staff while throwing banquets for Nazi officials.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has been bullying Canada since the start of his second term.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • Generally, these hunters do not start attacking cells unless there is a reason to do so, such as inflammation, a key marker of infection.
    — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • For example, Way of the Sword rewards defensive play in the form of Issen, powerful counterattacks that are triggered by attacking before an enemy strikes.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of violating

Browse Nearby Words

mishandles
mishandling
mishap
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mishandling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandling. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All