What is another word for abuse?

Synonyms for abuse
əˈbyuz; əˈbyusabuse

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word abuse.

English Synonyms and Antonyms3.5 / 2 votes

  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

Princeton's WordNet4.4 / 10 votes

  1. maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abusenoun

    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, vilificationnoun

    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, abuseverb

    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-treatverb

    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, abuseverb

    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, shoutverb

    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. abuseverb

    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

Editors Contribution0.0 / 0 votes

  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  

How to pronounce abuse?

How to say abuse in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
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#15217aggression
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#31457ridicule
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#51579subvert
#62754affront
#65039persecute
#66408exclaim
#66795oppress
#69948insolence
#72172malign
#73765defame
#78097defile
#84156disparage
#85386molest
#89611invective
#94285vilification
#112569sophisticate
#121624vitiate
#134838mistreat
#141077vilify
#148587revile
#151654ravish
#162113blackguard
#162847debase
#163167demoralize
#164852victimize
#166114opprobrium
#212610debauch
#232391misdirect
#233953convolute
#237936hollo
#244580upbraid
#261530vituperation
#291648obloquy
#314700contumely
#317019maltreat

How to use abuse in a sentence?

  1. Larry Cunningham:

    He should absolutely not stay in office and should step down, the report details a widespread pattern and practice of abuse and discrimination and dysfunction. Because it is widespread and systemic throughout the entire police department, the buck stops at the top — the person in charge — and that's the chief.

  2. Kate Delaney:

    And Kate Delaney, sports commentator and author strongly credits drugs and steroids for the loss of wrestlers through the years. Sadly its steroids fueled with alcohol addiction and sometimes completing the trifecta of abuse – drugs, chyna had a drug addiction many others do and Marc Siegel couple that with steroid abuse it's a lethal cocktail.

  3. Kamala Harris:

    All suffered sex abuse and domestic violence, and fled for the safety of their children, my heart is broken. ... Let's keep being their voice.

  4. Caroline Lorson:

    I hope that they heard that message loud and clear and that they're going to take swift action so that our states and our nation does not continue to overlook the institutional abuse of children.

  5. Jennifer Boone:

    There is a growing intolerance by the American people of public corruption, an intolerance reflected in the willingness to come forward and report abuse of public office.


Translations for abuse

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • إساءةArabic
  • оскърбление, злоупотребявам, изнасилвам, злоупотреба, обида, обиждам, оскърбявамBulgarian
  • zneužitíCzech
  • misbrug, mishandling, seksuelt misbrug, misbruge, krænke, vanrøgt, mishandleDanish
  • Missbrauch, Mißbrauch, missbrauchen, Schmähung, Beleidigung, beleidigen, Mißhandlung, vergewaltigen, Beschimpfung, beschimpfen, MisshandlungGerman
  • βρισιές, κακομεταχείριση, κατάχρησηGreek
  • abuso, abuso sexualSpanish
  • دشنامPersian
  • solvata, väärinkäyttää, raiskata, käyttää hyväksi, väärinkäyttö, solvaus, herjaus, väärinkäytös, pahoinpitely, hyväksikäyttö, pahoinpidellä, herjataFinnish
  • abus, viol, abuserFrench
  • càineadh, trod, cronachadhScottish Gaelic
  • abusoGalician
  • השתלחות, התעלל, השתלח, ניצול לרעה, התעללות, תקיפה מינית, ניצל לרעהHebrew
  • बुरा भला कहना, दुरूपयोग, अपशब्द, गाली देनाHindi
  • abuso, abuso sessuale, violenza carnale, violentare, violenza, abusareItalian
  • 侮辱, 濫用, ののしる, 性的虐待, 酷使, 虐待Japanese
  • ನಿಂದನೆKannada
  • 학대Korean
  • abūsiō, probrum, obloquor, abūtorLatin
  • abuséierenLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
  • įžeidinėtiLithuanian
  • lamātLatvian
  • abbużMaltese
  • misbrukNorwegian
  • verkrachten, beschimpingen, beschimpen, uitschelden, misbruiken, onteren, mishandelen, misbruik, mishandelingDutch
  • misbrukNorwegian Nynorsk
  • misbruk, utskjelling, voldtekt, mishandle, mishandling, misbruke, skjelle ut, voldtaNorwegian
  • atéʼélʼíNavajo, Navaho
  • nadużycie, znęcanie się, molestowaniePolish
  • ultrajar, afrontar, abusar, enganar, abuso, ofender, insultarPortuguese
  • abuzRomanian
  • злоупотребление, брань, злоупотреблять, злоупотребить, истязание, нападки, оскорблять, оскорбить, ругать, материть, изнасиловать, оскорбление, ругань, издевательство, издеваться, насилие, обижать, обидеть, обругать, обматерить, насиловатьRussian
  • злоупотреба, злостављање, zlostavljanje, злоупотребити, zlostavljati, zloupotreba, zloupotrebiti, злостављатиSerbo-Croatian
  • misshandel, missbruka, misshandla, missbrukSwedish
  • abuso, panggagahasa, pagmamalupitTagalog
  • بدسلوکیUrdu
  • migeb, nofön, lunofön, migebön, slanön, lenofönVolapük

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"abuse." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/abuse>.

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    Which is an antonym for Obstreperous?
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