ABUSIVE Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

abusive

adjective

ə-ˈbyü-siv

Definition of abusive

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

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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 In court records filed this summer, each parent painted the other as abusive and unfit to care for the needs of their children. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Levine underscored that, under the PCSA, college athletes would gain a private right of action to sue abusive or fraudulent agents, who could also face repercussions from the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Photo of Samantha Cromwell Cedric Ward Ward said the relationship had become abusive and that his daughter had been trying to leave Tucker. — Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 The challenge is no longer about making compute cheaper—but ensuring that usage translates into revenue, rather than allowing unexpected or abusive consumption to erode businesses’ margins. — Sarita Singh, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for abusive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive

Adjective

Some job seekers say AI interviews can feel impersonal, stilted, and downright insulting.

— Sarah Jackson Juhohn Lee, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Even more insulting was the cold, transactional nature of the intrusion.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of insulting

Adjective

Jay cites the scene in which Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) threatens Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) with increasingly outrageous acts of violence, turning the mobster’s menace into dark comedy.

— John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2026
SpaceX thinks this recovery strategy will enable fast and efficient reuse, allowing the company to achieve seemingly outrageous launch cadences.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of outrageous

Adjective

The public must contend head-on with a collapsing currency and runaway inflation, and to ordinary Iranians, describing the present situation as sustainable would sound almost obscene.

— Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
Current Florida law says a school district can review and remove a book after a complaint has been made that a book is pornographic, obscene or isn’t age appropriate.

— Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of obscene

Adjective

In Maine, Graham Platner — who, like Avila Chevalier, had a vituperative social media history — easily defeated the state’s governor, Janet Mills, for the Senate nomination.

— Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 June 2026
The Irish comedy writer has become better known for his assertion that trans women are men and criticism of trans activism, expressed in often vituperative social media posts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 May 2026

Definition of vituperative

Adjective

Once installed, the malicious app pushes you to enable Android's Accessibility service.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Companies should detect prompt injection, malicious or compromised tools, behavioral anomalies, data exfiltration and other threats.

— Shashwat Sehgal, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of malicious

Adjective

That expands the number of platforms capable of employing the system during defensive or offensive operations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
The offensive line sort of got decimated, and now the cornerbacks have gotten decimated.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of offensive

Adjective

While sometimes vitriolic discussions about the gargantuan structures have accompanied increasingly unavoidable AI conversations, data centers themselves have been around since the 1940s.

— Greta Reich, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
The comments under Miller’s social media posts grew startlingly vitriolic.

— Alex Andrejev, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Definition of vitriolic

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abusing

abusive

abusively

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“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abusive

adjective

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