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Synonyms

misrule

American  
[mis-rool] / mɪsˈrul /

noun

  1. bad or unwise rule; misgovernment.

  2. disorder or lawlessness.


verb (used with object)

misruled, misruling
  1. to misgovern.

misrule British  
/ ˌmɪsˈruːl /

verb

  1. (tr) to govern inefficiently or without humanity or justice

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. inefficient or inhumane government

  2. disorder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of misrule

1300–50; Middle English misreulen (v.), misreule (noun). See mis- 1, rule

Vocabulary lists containing misrule

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He later resigned over accusations of corruption and misrule.

From BBC Nov. 15, 2024

Political analysts said Zelenskiy needs to show Western partners and war-weary Ukrainians that he is serious about punishing misrule.

From Reuters Jan. 26, 2023

Just ask Haitians in Miami who have long suffered under terror and misrule, or ask the Central Americans who fled civil wars.

From Washington Post Dec. 28, 2022

They accuse him and his powerful family, which includes several siblings who until recently held top government positions, of precipitating the crisis through corruption and misrule.

From Seattle Times Jul. 7, 2022

Three centuries of rule or misrule make a considerable impression on any people.

From Prowling about Panama by George A. Miller

They also want an overhaul of a system of governance, saying successive administrations since independence from Britain in 1948 have misruled the country leading to economic and social crises.

From Seattle Times May 29, 2022

Mr Kabila has misruled Congo for the past 17 years, after he took over from his father, who was shot by a bodyguard.

From Economist Jun. 1, 2017

Far from being at the heart of a new Asia, sullen and misruled Central Asia languishes, for now, on the periphery.

From Economist Aug. 20, 2015

There will be no dramatic moment of closure on the era of Muhammad Hosni al-Sayyid Mubarak, the man who ruled and misruled Egypt for 30 years before being overthrown in early 2011.

From Newsweek Jun. 25, 2012

The Prince of Orange's troops landed at Torbay, and the last of the Stuart kings fled from the land he had misruled.

From Noble Deeds of the World's Heroines by Henry Charles Moore

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