mishandle

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mishandle

/mɪsˈhændəl/

Where it comes from

From Middle English mishandlen, equivalent to mis- + handle. Cognate with Saterland Frisian mishondelje, West Frisian mishandelje, Dutch mishandelen (“to mistreat”), German misshandeln (“to mistreat”).

verb mishandles · mishandling · mishandled

transitive To manipulate something roughly, causing physical damage. If you mishandle a fragile package, the contents may break.
Similar: misuse, abuse, handle roughly, handle incorrectly, maul
transitive To deal with a situation incorrectly or ineffectively; to make a mistake in handling a situation. The prime minister was accused of mishandling the diplomatic crisis.
Similar: mismanage

noun mishandles

countable, uncountable Rough manipulation which causes physical damage.
countable, uncountable Ineffective or incorrect deal.
countable, uncountable Improper, wrong, or bad usage or treatment; abuse.

Translations

Every language

verb manipulate roughly

中文	虐待 nüèdài

verb deal with incorrectly

Español	llevar mal
中文	处理不当

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Cite this

MLA

"mishandle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mishandle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mishandle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mishandle

Chicago

"mishandle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mishandle.

BibTeX

@misc{mishandle_2026,
  title = {mishandle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mishandle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}