MISUSED Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

misused

verb

past tense of misuse

as in abused

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 bullied

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 misused The complaint asks Bonta to investigate whether charitable funds were diverted for Miranda’s personal benefit and recover any money found to have been misused. — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Look for unfamiliar accounts or other signs that your information may have been misused. — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026 Union officials who represent corrections officers at the BOP, however, say that the tablets may create safety concerns for staff and be misused. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Identity theft protection services can watch for signs that your information is being misused. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Flock Safety, which operates a nationwide network of license-plate-reading cameras used by police to track vehicles, announced new safeguards after reports that officers misused the system to surveil people. — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Police allege Goodson, who has also been placed on administrative leave, misused the system because the victim was not part of a criminal investigation, the outlet reported. — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 The maker of the Taser recently phased out its drive-stun feature, a similar pain compliance tool that had been misused by some officers. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 Like some other powerful technologies, the software can also be misused. — Tam Nguyen, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misused

abused

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

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misuse

misused

misuses

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“Misused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misused. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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verb

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