mishandle

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mɪsˈhændəl/

Verb

mishandle (third-person singular simple present mishandles, present participle mishandling, simple past and past participle mishandled)

(transitive) To manipulate something roughly, causing physical damage.
If you mishandle a fragile package, the contents may break.
- 1962 October, “Talking of Trains: L.M.R. car-carrying success”, in Modern Railways, page 224:
  The obvious advantages of this method of new motor vehicle delivery over long distances,, which the L.M.R. says dealers and ultimate customers are beginning to appreciate, are all-weather reliability, arrival in mint condition and with only a very small mileage "on the clock", and the assurance that the car has not been mishandled during its running-in period; […] .
(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.
- 1962 November, “Talking of Trains: The one-day strike”, in Modern Railways, page 291:
  Naturally, the wisdom of striking to remedy grievances was questioned; but there were few dissentients from the view that the Government and B.T.C. are mishandling the human relations involved.
- 2009 August 22, Nicholas Kristof, “Food for the Soul”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:
  On a summer visit back to the farm here where I grew up, I think I figured out the central problem with modern industrial agriculture. It’s not just that it produces unhealthy food, mishandles waste and overuses antibiotics in ways that harm us all.
- 2023 July 18, Charlie Savage, “Trump Documents Hearing Could Set Off Lengthy Fight Over Classified Evidence”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:
  Mr. Trump faces 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act, which makes it a crime to mishandle national security secrets.

Synonyms

(manipulate roughly): misuse, abuse, handle roughly, handle incorrectly
(handle a situation incorrectly): mismanage

Translations

manipulate roughly

Bulgarian: малтретиране n (maltretirane)
Catalan: malmenar (ca)
Finnish: käsitellä kovakouraisesti
Mandarin: 虐待 (zh) (nüèdài)
Maori: haukeke, raukoti

deal with incorrectly

Catalan: malmenar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 处理不当
Finnish: hoitaa huonosti, tunaroida (fi)
Maori: raukoti
Spanish: llevar mal

Noun

mishandle (countable and uncountable, plural mishandles)

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

Anagrams

shieldman

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German mishandelen.

Verb

mishandle (imperative mishandl or mishandle, present tense mishandler, simple past and past participle mishandla or mishandlet)

to maltreat or mistreat

Derived terms

mishandling

References

“mishandle” in The Bokmål Dictionary.