1
as in abuses
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mauls
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mismanages
to manage badly
we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandles
The quarterback mishandles the snap and heaves the ball, which is picked off.
—
Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandles
Verb
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Under my watch, anyone who abuses wildlife in Florida will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bain would immediately give the Dolphins an elite, powerful edge defender who mauls blockers in front of him and fits the 4-3 base defense coach Jeff Hafley wants to play as a traditional defensive end.—
Kenny Rosarion,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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Martin mauls Arlington in 8-6A Arlington Martin got 20 points from Steven Reynolds III and 18 more from Levi Moore as the Warriors blasted Arlington 92-46 in a District 8-6A game on Thursday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Victor’s own father is obsessed with legacy and perfection and mistreats his boy, and that cycle continues with Victor and the Creature.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Mihály is a brute who mistreats his mother.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The second problem with a moratorium on calling your opponents authoritarian is that Trump himself routinely violates it.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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Critics and rights groups have said the DHS campaign violates due process and free speech.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Earth, the dangerous terrorist group known as the Wolfpack attacks major landmarks, such as Big Ben.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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Nektar Therapeutics said Monday that extended treatment with its experimental drug, called rezpeg, promoted greater hair growth in people with severe alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that attacks hair follicles.—
Adam Feuerstein,
STAT,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mercury damages the nervous system.—
Anton L. Delgado,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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Antisemitism weakens trust, corrodes pluralism and damages the social fabric on which diverse communities depend.—
Laurence Milstein,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This storyline later appeared in the second season of Girls, as Dunham’s character Hannah is overwhelmed with the anxiety of writing a novel and similarly injures herself.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
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In her desperation to ask Val for a job on the new sitcom, Sharon falls and injures herself.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mishandles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandles. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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