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Showing results for misrule. Search instead for Disruly.
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

  • misruler noun

Etymology

Origin of misrule

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

Vocabulary lists containing misrule

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-

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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.

In April 1930, Gandhi concluded his pivotal salt march, breaking the British monopoly on salt production - a charged symbol of colonial misrule.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

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 Miller, George A.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.