maltreat

mal·treat

verb \ˌmal-ˈtrēt\

Definition of MALTREAT

transitive verb

: to treat cruelly or roughly : abuse

— mal·treat·er \-ˈtrē-tər\ noun

— mal·treat·ment \-ˈtrēt-mənt\ noun

Examples of MALTREAT

1. <emotionally maltreated and neglected for years by her husband, she had long ago resigned herself to a loveless marriage>
2. <if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately>

Origin of MALTREAT

part translation of French maltraiter, from Middle French, from mal- + traiter to treat, from Old French traitier — more at treat

First Known Use: 1708

Related to MALTREAT

Synonyms: brutalize, bully, ill-treat, ill-use, kick around, abuse, manhandle, mess over [slang], mishandle, mistreat, misuse

Related Words: molest, outrage, violate; harass, harm, hurt, injure, oppress, persecute, torment, torture; burn, sandbag, victimize, wrong; beat (up), mess (up), rough (up), work (over)

Near Antonyms: care (for), cherish, foster, nurture; baby, cater (to), coddle, favor, gratify, humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with MALTREAT

accrete, aesthete, afreet, athlete, backbeat, backseat, backstreet, bedsheet, bench seat, big beat, bolete, box pleat, box seat, break beat, broadsheet, browbeat, buckwheat, bystreet, call sheet, car seat, cheat sheet, clipsheet, cloud street, cold feet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, concrete, crabmeat, crib sheet, deadbeat, dead heat, dead meat, deceit, defeat, delete, deplete, discreet, discrete, disseat, downbeat, drop seat, drumbeat, dutch treat, effete, elite, en suite, entreat, escheat, excrete, facete, Fleet Street, fly sheet, forcemeat, foresheet, four-peat, gamete, groundsheet, hard wheat, heartbeat, heat-treat, helpmeet, hoofbeat, hot seat, house seat, ice sheet, ill-treat, jump seat, kick pleat, love seat, mainsheet, Main Street, mesquite, mincemeat, mistreat, offbeat, Ossete, petite, pink sheet, preheat, rap sheet, receipt, recheat, red heat, red meat, red wheat, regreet, repeat, replete, retreat, scratch sheet, secrete, side street, slip-sheet, soft wheat, spreadsheet, stand treat, swap meet, sweetmeat, tear sheet, terete, three-peat, through street, time sheet, unmeet, unseat, upbeat, vegete, volkslied, white heat