Synonyms for abuse
əˈbyuz; əˈbyus

Princeton's WordNet(4.40 / 10 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abuse(noun)

   cruel or inhumane treatment

   "the child showed signs of physical abuse"

   Synonyms:
   ill-treatment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, maltreatment

2. abuse, insult, revilement, contumely, vilification(noun)

   a rude expression intended to offend or hurt

   "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "they yelled insults at the visiting team"

   Synonyms:
   smear, ill-treatment, malignment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, affront, maltreatment

3. misuse, abuse(verb)

   improper or excessive use

   "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds"

   Synonyms:
   ill-treatment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, maltreatment

4. mistreat, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, step, ill-treat(verb)

   treat badly

   "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead"

   Synonyms:
   pervert, maltreat, blackguard, step, tread, pace, clapperclaw, misuse, shout, mistreat, ill-use, ill-treat

5. pervert, misuse, abuse(verb)

   change the inherent purpose or function of something

   "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"

   Synonyms:
   sophisticate, pervert, shout, vitiate, deprave, debauch, twist, ill-use, blackguard, twist around, subvert, misapply, profane, step, corrupt, debase, misdirect, demoralise, convolute, maltreat, misuse, demoralize, clapperclaw, ill-treat, mistreat

6. abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shout(verb)

   use foul or abusive language towards

   "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother shouted at the teacher"

   Synonyms:
   hollo, guy, cry out, pervert, shout, clapperclaw, ill-use, blackguard, roast, make fun, shout out, call out, rib, step, mistreat, holler, yell, call, poke fun, jest at, maltreat, misuse, cry, squall, ridicule, outcry, exclaim, ill-treat, scream, laugh at

7. abuse(verb)

   use wrongly or improperly or excessively

   "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"

   Synonyms:
   pervert, maltreat, blackguard, clapperclaw, mistreat, misuse, shout, step, ill-use, ill-treat

English Synonyms and Antonyms(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. abuse

   Abuse covers all unreasonable or improper use or treatment by word or act. A tenant does not abuse rented property by "reasonable wear," though that may damage the property and injure its sale; he may abuse it by needless defacement or neglect. It is possible to abuse a man without harming him, as when the criminal vituperates the judge; or to harm a man without abusing him, as when the witness tells the truth about the criminal. Defame, malign, rail at, revile, slander, vilify, and vituperate are used always in a bad sense. One may be justly reproached. To impose on or to victimize one is to injure him by abusing his confidence. To persecute one is to ill-treat him for opinion's sake, commonly for religious belief; to oppress is generally for political or pecuniary motives. "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy," Deut. xxiv, 14. Misemploy, misuse, and pervert are commonly applied to objects rather than to persons. A dissolute youth misemploys his time, misuses his money and opportunities, harms his associates, perverts his talents, wrongs his parents, ruins himself, abuses every good gift of God.

   Synonyms:
   aggrieve, damage, defame, defile, disparage, harm, ill-treat, ill-use, impose on, impose upon, injure, malign, maltreat, misemploy, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pervert, prostitute, rail at, ravish, reproach, revile, ruin, slander, victimize, vilify, violate, vituperate, wrong

   Antonyms:
   applaud, benefit, care for, cherish, conserve, consider, eulogize, extol, favor, laud, panegyrize, praise, protect, regard, respect, shield, sustain, tend, uphold, vindicate

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. abuse(v)

   Synonyms:
   injure, damage, spoil, maltreat, treat-all, ill-use, ill-treat, retile, scandalize, disparage, reproach, upbraid, asperse, malign, slander, vituperate, prostitute, defame, pervert, misuse, misemploy, vilify

   Antonyms:
   tend, protect, conserve, consider, regard, shield, cherish, praise, extol, laud, vindicate, panegyrize, respect

2. abuse(n)

   Synonyms:
   mistreatment, invective, ill-treatment, opprobrium, scurrility, vituperation, ribaldry, obloquy, reproach, insolence, misusage, ill-usage

   Antonyms:
   good-usage, good-treatment, kindness, praise, deference, respect

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. harm to the innocent and vulnerable

   any direct or indirect abuse to children, adults, animals, elderly or the planet

   nursing home abuse. child sex trafficking, rape, ptsd. gaslighting, narcissists, blocking, slut shaming, etc

   Submitted by Debranardifl on May 25, 2021  

2. oppobrium

   public disgrace arising from shameful conduct

   the opprbrium of being closely associated with gangsters.

   Submitted by rinat on November 1, 2015  

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. abuse(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   misuse, misemploy, misapply, pervert, prostitute, desecrate, profane, make an ill use of

2. abuse(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   maltreat, harm, injure, hurt, ill-treat, ill-use

3. abuse(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   revile, reproach, vilify, slander, traduce, defame, asperse, malign, blacken, disparage, berate, rate, upbraid, calumniate, lampoon, satirize, lash, PASQUINADE, VITUPERATE, rail at, sneer at, speak ill of, accuse falsely, damn with faint praise

4. abuse(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   violate, outrage, ravish, deflour

5. abuse(n.)

   Synonyms:
   misapplication, misuse, misemployment, profanation, prostitution, desecration, perversion, ill-use

6. abuse(n.)

   Synonyms:
   maltreatment, outrage, ill-treatment, bad treatment

7. abuse(n.)

   Synonyms:
   corrupt practice

8. abuse(n.)

   Synonyms:
   vituperation, railing, reviling, contumely, obloquy, opprobrium, insult, scurrility, ribaldry, JAW, foul invective, rude reproach

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. abuse(n)

   Synonyms:
   misuse, misapplication, perversion, profanation, desecration, injury, maltreatment, mistreatment, outrage, offense, invective, contumely, reproach, scurrility, opprobrium, tirade, billingsgate, vilification, violation, rape

2. abuse(v)

   Synonyms:
   misapply, misuse, pervert, desecrate, violate, profane, maltreat, mistreat, revile, reproach, vilify, vituperate, malign, traduce, violate, ravish, rape

PPDB, the paraphrase database(2.00 / 4 votes)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "abuse":

   misuse, ill-treatment, abuses, maltreatment, mistreatment, violence, abused, addiction, exploitation, assault, abusive, aggression, consumption, violation, malpractice, breach, brutality, abusers, violations, misused

How to pronounce abuse?

How to say abuse in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use abuse in a sentence?

1. Nicolle Rochelle:

   The protest wasn’t about me knowing him, but there’s a part of me that feels betrayed because I can understand what the victims were feeling. Like, that could have been me, I could’ve undergone the abuse as well.

2. Hakeem Jeffries:

   I support the chairman's effort to hold this administration accountable. I support the investigation in all of its parameters, and I support the fact that he's taking a close look at the obstruction of justice, abuse of power and cultural corruption coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

3. Wes Morgan:

   I have to say( racist abuse) is worse but on the basis that when I first started there wasn't the social media aspect to it all, that seems to be the catalyst for most of this racist behavior that is happening. At the moment it's an easy way to target players and say negative things, that is a problem in itself.

4. Letta Tayler:

   A rolling state of emergency risks trampling rights and eroding the rule of law and sets a dangerous precedent for abuse elsewhere.

5. Craig Futterman:

   The Chicago Police Department refuses to look at potential patterns of misconduct complaints when investigating police misconduct, if the department did look at these patterns when investigating police abuse, there is a great chance right now that 17-year-old boy would still be alive.

Images & Illustrations of abuse