mishandled

verb

past tense of mishandle
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

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2
as in attacked
to abuse physically adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound

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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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Example Sentences

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 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 But Jackson also acknowledged Flutter mishandled its own customer proposition, particularly pulling back on promotions and generosity. — Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026 The lawsuit alleges that employees at Kaiser Permanente mishandled the tissue sample Barksdale gave in March 2025 before it was sent to Quest Diagnostics. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandled
  1. abused
  2. attacked
  3. damaged
  4. bullied
  5. manhandled
  6. violated
  7. mistreated
  8. mauled
Verb
  • Jarrett, the elder brother, was eventually taken in by a man who later abused him, a victimizer who then set his sights on Baylon.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Market power can be abused, and a transaction involving companies this significant deserves careful regulatory scrutiny.
    — Cory Jacobson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • Evidence publicly presented in the Clancy case indicates Lindsay was the only adult at the family home when investigators believe the children were attacked.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The Defense Ministry in Bucharest said that so far this year, Russia had attacked targets close to Romania's frontier 54 times, representing a significant increase on the 28 attacks close to the border in all of 2025.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • But the scientific evidence needed to rule out that connection could be complicated if the remains are damaged, said Miller.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • This could be particularly relevant to dual citizens who routinely travel with more than one passport, as well as anyone who has had a passport lost, stolen, damaged, or replaced between applying for ETIAS and taking a trip.
    — Bailey Berg, Forbes.com, 23 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
  • After a federal jury in the District of Columbia ruled in favor of Democracy Partners, O’Keefe and Maass appealed, arguing the damages violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of the press.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Nor could the state provide recidivism or success rate data related to the total number of participants who violated probation, were arrested or who successfully completed the program.
    — Julie Watts August 20, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of violated
Verb
  • 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
  • Detectives said Beemer claimed his mother had mistreated him for years, including molesting him.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 July 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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Cite this Entry

“Mishandled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandled. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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