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
  • The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into Corning for possibly abusing its market dominance in supplying its protective glass to electronics vendors.
    Michael Kan, PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
  • In her old home, Sasha was abused and could not walk or clean herself properly.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • 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
  • The subsequent Circus Starring Britney Spears Tour made its way around the world, but much like an actual circus, the star of the show was being mistreated.
    James Dinh, Billboard, 29 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
  • They are beaten, they are tortured, they are raped, they are shot, hanged, and starved.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Alas, there isn’t enough facial hair in the world to hide the fact at hand: This Mad Lib of a movie amounts to an extremely self-serious remix of the same old tropes that Neeson has already tortured to death.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 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 21 Nov. 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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