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Glite Dictionary
to misgovern

to misgovern

1 8.3
To lead a country or group badly and hurt its people
  • verb
  • /ˌmɪsˈɡʌvərn/
translation icon : malgobernar
  • Many citizens believe that poor policies can cause a leader to misgovern their country.

Examples

  • To the disappointment of his "oldest and dearest friend," Baron Mure, who had asked him to write a letter on behalf of the county of Renfrewshire advocating military measures against the Americans, Hume wrote: "I am an American in my principles, and wish we would let them alone to govern or misgovern themselves as they think proper."

    Blog text (17)

  • This act, as we have seen, was spiritualized by Hume into what he called an American principle, namely the right of a people "to govern or misgovern themselves as they think proper.

    Blog text (17)

  • Olson examines the complex relationships between the role of the state and economic performance, arguing that "there is no way of explaining the extreme poverty of many nations without taking account of the extent to which they are misgoverned."

    Blog text (15)

  • The corrupt officials continued to misgovern the city, leading to widespread public discontent.

  • The previous administration is often criticized for having misgoverned during its term in office.

Synonyms

to mismanage
vsto misgovern
17 4.8

To run something badly so it fails or causes problems

is specific to leading countries or people rather than any task
to misrule
vsto misgovern
1 7.4

To lead a country in a bad or dishonest way

is bad or improper leadership that need not be unjust

Antonyms

to govern
171 2.9

To rule a country using law or force

How Well

to govern
171 2.9
to misgovern
1 8.3
to mismanage
17 4.8
to misrule
1 7.4

Surface Forms

misgovern infinitive
misgoverned past
misgoverned past participle
misgoverning present participle
misgoverns third person singular

Morphology

misgovern = govern (transparent) = mis + govern

The prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' combines directly with the verb 'govern' to give the clear meaning 'to govern badly'.

Etymology

The word misgovern joins mis- meaning 'wrong' and govern, the same part you see in government and governor, which means 'to rule' or 'to manage'. So, misgovern means to 'rule' or 'manage' in the wrong way, which is why we use it when leaders lead badly.