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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacked
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandled
Pratt’s Office of Student Protections alleged Thuet mishandled that case.
—
Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
The case alleges Wilder mishandled Portalatin’s custody case in a Tarrant County family court.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following his whistleblower complaint alleging that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mishandled sensitive personal data of over 300 million Americans.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
On Seattle’s final offensive play, Milroe mishandled a snap, essentially ending the game.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Another Reddit user alleged that the rollout was deliberately mishandled to frame the subsequent reversal as a calculated move, to make OpenAI’s leadership appear responsive.
—Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The process lacked transparency, the Council failed to communicate proactively and critical aspects — like comments to Chief Jennings and the settlement breakdown — were mishandled.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
The Red Sox got the potential tying run on base with two outs in the top of the eighth when Romy Gonzalez hit a soft grounder to shortstop that was mishandled by Jeremy Peña, but the club couldn’t capitalize after Gonzalez was thrown out trying to steal second.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Trump has argued higher rates are stifling growth and hurting American homeowners and businesses and demanded drastic rate cuts of up to three percentage points—a move economists warn could risk unleashing new inflation if mishandled.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
The case alleges Wilder mishandled Portalatin’s custody case in a Tarrant County family court.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Charles Borges, the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following his whistleblower complaint alleging that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mishandled sensitive personal data of over 300 million Americans.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
On Seattle’s final offensive play, Milroe mishandled a snap, essentially ending the game.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Another Reddit user alleged that the rollout was deliberately mishandled to frame the subsequent reversal as a calculated move, to make OpenAI’s leadership appear responsive.
—Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
The process lacked transparency, the Council failed to communicate proactively and critical aspects — like comments to Chief Jennings and the settlement breakdown — were mishandled.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
The Red Sox got the potential tying run on base with two outs in the top of the eighth when Romy Gonzalez hit a soft grounder to shortstop that was mishandled by Jeremy Peña, but the club couldn’t capitalize after Gonzalez was thrown out trying to steal second.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Trump has argued higher rates are stifling growth and hurting American homeowners and businesses and demanded drastic rate cuts of up to three percentage points—a move economists warn could risk unleashing new inflation if mishandled.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandled
Verb
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The court ruled that Particle plausibly alleged Epic abused its dominance in electronic health records to undermine competition in the payer platform market so that those claims will move forward into discovery.—
David Chou,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The 7-year-old detailed abuse by her father and stepmother, whose 6-year-old daughter was also allegedly being abused, according to the court documents.—
Mike Stunson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tonges, who before Sunday’s game had never caught a regular-season pass, attacked the ball and gave San Francisco the lead.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The occurrences grew more aggressive over time, with the Smurls' 75-pound German shepherd getting slammed into a wall and Jack getting attacked while praying.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Friends of mine received unwanted explicit snaps from male peers, some were contacted by complete strangers, and many were bullied on the platform.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
12 Sep. 2025
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His twin sister, Danielle, who is also autistic, was bullied by classmates and became suicidal.—
Fred Clasen-Kelly,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Early indications suggest they are still getting manhandled up front.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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The Vikings manhandled the Patriots’ defensive front, yielding just two sacks after allowing close to 10 the day before.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Six houses were also damaged in the attack, Kondratiev said.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
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Niacinamide, which is a form of Vitamin B3, is rich in antioxidants that help combat oily and sun-damaged skin, according to the brand.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Newsrooms — like many other companies, amid a tight labor market and booming economy — responded with intense sympathy for junior employees who felt mistreated by managers and bullied by untouchable stars.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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But fans could only view Linda as a direct replacement of Lennon, and she was mistreated in the press and by fans, showcasing an open misogyny that calls to mind Yoko Ono’s mistreatment.—
Caleb Hammond,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Charlotte had fallen 34-11 to Appalachian State in a loss the week before, and the Tar Heels had gotten mauled, 48-14, in Chapel Hill by TCU.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
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Before that, the last deadly incident was in 1963, when actress Marcia Hathaway was fatally mauled by a bull shark in Middle Harbour’s shallow waters.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Wake County schools violated policy when staff did not address the effects of bullying on Danielle, said an April 2024 letter from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.—
Fred Clasen-Kelly,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Argentina and other countries under Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) also have protections that may be violated by tariffs, Comprés said.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandled. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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