MISHANDLED Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

mishandled

verb

past tense of mishandle

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in attacked

to abuse physically adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound

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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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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 mishandled Merrill walked and Bogaerts singled to start the fifth inning, and the Padres loaded the bases when Mateo mishandled Austin Hays’ grounder to second. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026 The punter mishandled the snap, and the Seminoles get the ball at Lake Howell’s 14 yard line. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 The Brewers got the leadoff batter on when Atlanta pitcher Martín Pérez (8-8) mishandled a dribbler from Cooper Pratt, who beat the throw to first. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026 Raman, on the other hand, said Bass mishandled the city’s response to SB 79, even as the city failed to produce enough new homes. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Said alleges that the companies later mishandled her requests for medical accommodations following an assignment covering the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026 She has reportedly been found to have mishandled evidence on as many as 20 separate occasions. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The investigation by the state of Illinois into mishandled and decomposing bodies found at a Chicago funeral home has expanded to a second facility. — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026 The case also mirrors incidents across the country where remains were allegedly mishandled. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandled

Verb

Furious season 1 wrapped up the case as Alice arrested Catherine at Jay Easton’s (Peter McRobbie) house — the site where Catherine and her friend Isabel (Larissa Campos) were abused.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
That series revealed just how little many local police departments are doing to make sure street-camera data is not being abused.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

But the university’s recent actions in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was attacked on campus during that period appear at odds with that commitment.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
Not long after Bungalow 8 opened, the World Trade Center was attacked.

— Derek C. Blasberg, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

At a key power plant that was severely damaged by the floods, workers started inspecting the facilities Sunday to survey the destruction.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
The Don Curry Nature Trail — named for the Troop 326 scoutmaster and Fort Worth attorney — replaced an older trail that had been damaged by erosion.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of damaged

Verb

View this post on Instagram Priscilla Villanueva said her son, Dakota Cabrera, has been bullied for wearing his hair in a braid, but seeing Pete do the same gives him hope.

— Marissa Armas, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Trump has all but severed America’s system of alliances, mocked and bullied Ukraine’s president, and showered praise upon Kim Jong Un.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of bullied

Verb

New England lost in demoralizing fashion to the Seahawks last February, 29-13, as the Seattle defense manhandled the Patriots’ offense.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.

— James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026

Definition of manhandled

Verb

The core of the Teamsters’ petition against the DMV is the claim that regulators violated the California Administrative Procedure Act by failing to complete an extensive study of the economic and practical impact of the policy change.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Meta also lost a separate social-media case brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, after a court found that the company violated the state's child-safety laws and ordered it to pay over $900 million in penalties.

— Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of violated

Verb

Creative labor certainly seems to be disappearing as studios experiment with generative AI, and artists and craftspeople are rightly afraid of being further mistreated, devalued, or replaced.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
Human rights organizations have released multiple reports alleging Palestinian prisoners are mistreated, tortured and wrongfully detained in Israeli jails.

— CBS News, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of mistreated

Verb

And statistically, your chances of getting jumped and mauled by a bear are so low compared to any other real danger in the backcountry.

— Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
Also in July, in Kenai, a local resident was mauled by a brown bear that had climbed over the fence into her front yard, with its two cubs, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

— Stephen Smith, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of mauled

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“Mishandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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