mismanage

American  

[mis-man-ij] / mɪsˈmæn ɪdʒ /

verb (used with or without object)

mismanaged, mismanaging

1. to manage incompetently or dishonestly.

   to mismanage funds.

   Synonyms:

   maladminister, botch, bungle, mishandle

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mismanage British  

/ ˌmɪsˈmænɪdʒ /

verb

1. (tr) to manage badly or wrongly

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Other Word Forms

• mismanagement
  noun
• mismanager
  noun

Etymology

Origin of mismanage

First recorded in 1680–90; mis- ¹ + manage

Explanation

To mismanage is to handle something badly. A company will go bankrupt if its leaders mismanage it. If you mismanage your allowance, you’ll be out of money in no time. To manage is to handle or run something, so to mismanage is to make a mess of something you're doing or running. A general manager could mismanage a basketball team by trading away good players. The President can mismanage the country by making political and economic mistakes. You can mismanage your time if you goof off and don't get your work done. To mismanage is to mishandle.

Example Sentences

Mismanage, mis-man′āj, v.t. to conduct badly: to conduct carelessly.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Mismanage your own business, boys, and let me manage mine!”

From Right off the Bat Baseball Ballads by Kirk, William F.

Related Words

• botch
• bungle
• mishandle
• misinterpret