Synonyms for abuse
- verb
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Mistreat — to injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly
mistreat, molest, ill-use, ill-treat, harm, damage, hurt, do violence to, persecute, injury, injure, do evil, do ill, wrong, maul, afflict, wound, outrage dated, maltreat rare, oppress dated, aggrieve rare
2. Insult — to attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about…
insult, slander, vilify, revile, censure, vitriol, defame, affront, call names, slur, berate, disparage, rate, scold, flame, blacken, scandal dated, malign dated, slag off slang, vituperate formal rare, slag slang UK
3. Misuse — to violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate
rape, self-abuse, violate, attack, force, prostitute, dishonor US, dishonour UK, ruin, stroke, profane, misappropriate, touch oneself, masturbate, pollute, desecrate, mishandle, misuse dated, defile dated, ravish dated, ravage slang
4. Lead astray — to deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of
Other
Noun
1. Vilification — coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies
vilification, invective, opprobrium, reproach, indignity, defamation, tirade, calumny, scolding, aspersion, obloquy, contumely rare, scurrility rare
2. Maltreatment
Other
prostitution, violation, perversion, misapplication, desecration, reviling, railing
Definitions
- v. 1
To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
- v. 2
To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
- n. 1
Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
children hurling abuse at each other
- n. 2
Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad.
Related words
Choose the right word
Abuse covers all unreasonable or improper use or treatment by word or act. 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.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- harm This kind of magazine can do harm to young people.
- molest Tom attempted to molest the eight-year-old child.
- mistreat Adriano continued to mistreat Rima.
- insult An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult.
- slander She loudly said every slander imaginable about me.
By length
- 4 letters
- rate1, hurt1, harm1, rape1, ruin2, slur1, slag1, maul1
- 5 letters
- wrong1, force1, wound1, flame1, scold1
- 6 letters
- attack2, damage2, injury3, stroke1, insult2, misuse2, injure2, tirade2, molest2, malign2, defile, ravage2, defame2, vilify3
- 7 letters
- scandal2, outrage2, violate3, deceive2, slander2, pervert2, railing2, profane2, oppress2, censure2, vitriol3, affront2, pollute2, afflict2
- 8 letters
- dishonor3, reproach2, scolding2, mistreat2, reviling, maltreat, aggrieve2
- 9 letters
- violation4, persecute3, dishonour, disparage3, indignity4, invective3, desecrate3, mishandle3, aspersion3, contumely
- 10 letters
- prostitute3, defamation4, masturbate3, perversion3, opprobrium4, vituperate, scurrility
- 11 letters
- desecration4
- 12 letters
- prostitution4, mistreatment3, maltreatment3, vilification5
- 14 letters
- misapplication5, misappropriate5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ruin2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- abuser
- Italiano
- ingannare
- Español
- engañar
- Deutsch
- missbrauchen