ill-treat

verb

ˈil-ˈtrēt How to pronounce ill-treat (audio)
Definition of ill-treatnext
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon anyone who ill-treats their pets should not be allowed to have any

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-treat
  1. abuse
  2. mistreat
  3. maltreat
  4. bully
  5. torture
Verb
  • That post in question found Harper outright denying Richards’ lawsuit claims that Diddy subjected them to abuse.
    Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 19 Nov. 2024
  • That brings enormous power, and the ability to abuse that power.
    Daniel Eagan, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • The film follows an elderly man who goes undercover in a nursing home to investigate claims that a resident was being mistreated.
    Peter White, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Some of the elders still remember the days when most Shia were mired in rural poverty, mistreated not just by Lebanon’s other sects but by their own semifeudal overlords.
    Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
Definition of mistreat
Verb
  • Lie number 2: Israel has been oppressing and maltreating Palestinians (and denying them a state) for 75 years.
    Efrem Sigel, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2024
  • In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that 1 billion children were maltreated each year around the globe.
    Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
Definition of maltreat
Verb
  • There is a fine line between bullying and encouraging others to do what’s right.
    Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
  • In an application for a restraining order, which was granted by a judge, a woman alleged that Ali harassed, bullied and threatened her.
    Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Definition of bully
Verb
  • Like any good network soap, Grey’s loves to torture us with exaggerated teaser clips.
    Laura Bradley, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
  • If the director can’t or won’t, there’s no need to torture yourself for work.
    R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Definition of torture
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near ill-treat

ill-tempered

ill-treat

ill-treated

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Cite this Entry

“Ill-treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treat. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ill-treat

Nglish: Translation of ill-treat for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of ill-treat for Arabic Speakers

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