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mishandle
[mis-han-dl] 
| Main Entry: |
mishandle/mismanage
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | mess up |
| Synonyms: | abuse, be incompetent, be inefficient, blow, blunder, botch, bungle, confound, err, flub, foul up, fumble, goof up, goof, gum up, harm, make a hash of, make a mess of, maladminister, misapply, misconduct, misdirect, misemploy, misgovern, mistreat, misuse, muff, overlook, pervert, prostitute, put foot in, screw up, shoot oneself in foot |
| Antonyms: | handle, manage |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically hurt or injure |
| Synonyms: | bang up, beat up, bung up, corrupt, cut up, damage, defile, deprave, desecrate, harm, hose, ill-treat, impair, maltreat, mar, mess up*, mishandle, mistreat, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pollute, rough up, roughhouse, ruin, shake up, spoil, taint, total*, victimize, violate, wax |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
| Antonyms: | cherish, defend, help, preserve, protect, respect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | use wrongly |
| Synonyms: | dissipate, exhaust, misemploy, mishandle, misuse, overburden, overtax, overwork, prostitute, spoil, squander, taint, waste |
| Antonyms: | benefit, care for, esteem, prize, respect, revere |
| Main Entry: | botch |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | blunder |
| Synonyms: | blow*, bobble, boggle, bollix, boot, bumble, bungle, butcher, distort, err, fall down, flounder, flub, fumble, goof up, gum up, louse up, mar, mend, mess, mess up*, misapply, miscalculate, miscompute, misconjecture, misconstrue, mishandle, misjudge, mismanage, muck up, muddle, muff, mutilate, patch, pull a boner, ruin, screw up, spoil, stumble, wreck |
| Antonyms: | accomplish, achieve, do well, succeed |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | bungle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | blunder, mess up |
| Synonyms: | ball up, boggle, botch, butcher, drop the ball, err, flub, foul up, fudge, fumble, goof up, gum up, louse up, make a mess of, mar, mess up, miscalculate, mishandle, mismanage, muff, ruin, screw up, spoil |
| Antonyms: | do well, fix, manage, succeed |
| Main Entry: | fumble |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bumble, mess up |
| Synonyms: | bollix, botch, bungle, err, feel, flounder, flub, fluff, goof, grapple, grope, lose the handle, louse up, misfield, mishandle, mismanage, scrabble, screw up, spoil, stumble |
| Antonyms: | do well |
| Main Entry: | muff |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bungle |
| Synonyms: | blunder, boggle, botch, choke*, drop the ball, err, flub, foul up, fumble, goof up, make a mess of, mess up, miscalculate, mishandle, mismanage, screw up, slip |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | rough up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | handle harshly |
| Synonyms: | abuse, bash, batter, beat up, hit, knock about, knock around, maltreat, manhandle, mishandle, mistreat, roughen, roughhouse, slap around, thrash |
| Antonyms: | aid, help, protect |
| Main Entry: | screw up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make a mess of |
| Synonyms: | blow, bobble, bollix, botch, bungle, confuse, flub, foul up, goof up, goof, louse, make hash of, mess, mess up, mishandle, mismanage, muck up, muddle, muff, queer, snafu, spoil |
| Antonyms: | succeed |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
