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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2
as in mauls
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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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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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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandles
Verb
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In the film, Victor emotionally abuses the Creature.—
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Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable.—
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.—
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Mihály is a brute who mistreats his mother.—
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges the freeze is based on unsupported allegations of social services fraud and violates Congress’ spending power.—
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The association has argued that Measure ULA violates both the state’s constitution and the Los Angeles City Charter.—
Verb
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According to the Hindu, local eyewitnesses have said that the elephant attacks mostly at night while people are sleeping, and residents have been using firecrackers and patrol teams to keep the animal away from heavily populated areas.—
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Russia attacks Ukraine with new Oreshnik ballistic missile Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with a new hypersonic ballistic missile, an advanced weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.—
Verb
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For people with celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine.—
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Scientists think that chronic inflammation damages the brain and increases the risk of dementia.—
Verb
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California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.—
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In self-defense, Franck's group injures one of the attackers.—
Cite this Entry
“Mishandles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandles. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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