MISUSING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

misusing

verb

present participle of misuse

as in abusing

to put to a bad or improper use an actor who misused his considerable talent by appearing in too many lousy movies

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as in bullying

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon sadly misused by the people he had trusted

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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 misusing And any police officer caught misusing them should be charged by violating the constitution. — Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026 Diggory and Polly are transported to Narnia from London after accidentally misusing magic rings owned by Diggory’s Uncle Andrew, played by Daniel Craig. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026 An Athens-Clarke County police officer has been fired and is under investigation after officials say he was accused of misusing his department's Flock Safety system to search for his ex-girlfriend's vehicle. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency found that GEO Group had violated federal law by misusing HDQ Neutral. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Rajapaksa was accused of misusing funds that her charity received as a donation from a state bank earmarked for the purchase of a scanner for a government hospital. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 In Florida, police have repeatedly been caught misusing Flock cameras, sometimes tracking single cars hundreds of times for personal reasons. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026 The simple firewall component both blocks attacks from outside the local network and prevents local programs from misusing their network connections. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026 And just days after Michigan City police went before the city council to discuss adding Flock License Plate Readers to high-traffic areas in the city, the police department announced an officer had resigned after misusing data from the cameras. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misusing

abusing

Verb

In an earlier episode, Pam confronts Grace’s mother about abusing her daughter and ends up bashing in the woman’s head with a meat tenderizer — which sounds like a pivotal moment but plays more like a side quest.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes pleaded guilty Monday to financially abusing and fatally neglecting elderly and disabled people in her care, according to court filings.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of abusing

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misuses

misusing

misutilization

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

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Synonyms of misusing

verb

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