as in insulting
marked by harsh insulting language
never one to believe that honorable people can disagree honorably, he invariably launches abusive attacks against anyone who dares to challenge him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of abusive
She and her brother were raised by their grandparents, though Wuornos later alleged her grandfather was abusive.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Eyes Up provides a way for users to record and upload footage of abusive law-enforcement activity, building an archive of potential evidence.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
His journey from nervous child with an abusive father to an outstanding professional baseball player who was the MVP in 1971, and as a manager who was fired three times before taking the helm as the Yankees manager.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Lester jumps in to stop him with the elevator crank, finally standing up to his abusive boss, and in the shuffle Nicky ends up falling onto the meat cleaver and dying.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Eyes Up provides a way for users to record and upload footage of abusive law-enforcement activity, building an archive of potential evidence.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
His journey from nervous child with an abusive father to an outstanding professional baseball player who was the MVP in 1971, and as a manager who was fired three times before taking the helm as the Yankees manager.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Lester jumps in to stop him with the elevator crank, finally standing up to his abusive boss, and in the shuffle Nicky ends up falling onto the meat cleaver and dying.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
-
To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The ivory tower is losing luster by the second, after campuses around the country proved to be hotbeds of antisemitism, grade inflation has spiked rather than dissipated, and outrageous tuitions fund outlandish administrative salaries.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The premise sounds exceedingly dark, but the outrageous violence and setpieces allow for the catharsis of squirms and nervous laughter.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Beside one of those blandly obscene bidets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
-
But the show avoided an FCC probe as the West Coast delay was censored, and the East Coast broadcast aired after the 6am-10pm window during which obscene content is prohibited on broadcast TV and radio.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Ultimately, the offensive droughts didn’t matter because of the level of competition.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But those things happen to even the best offensive linemen from time to time.—
Omar Kelly
October 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Police believe the act was done with malicious intent.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In the years intervening, the poem has remained a lodestar, a contravening presence when, in present day America’s vituperative political landscape, the humanities disciplines and higher education itself has been forced to invoke and defend its own authority.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Even the company’s most vituperative detractors acknowledge its engineering genius and applaud its success in driving down launch expenses (unlike many defense contractors, SpaceX largely eats the cost of its failures).—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
In the Hulu version of the story, Clarke plays Alex, a middle-aged lawyer stealing money from his clients and funneling it into an opioid addiction and, the series implies, other scurrilous crimes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Whether ecstatic or vitriolic, the attention the book garnered was unprecedented.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
-
One of the most viral and vitriolic critiques came from Crissle West, co-host of the popular pop-culture podcast The Read.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share