ILL-USE Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-use

verb

ˈil-ˈyüz

Definition of ill-use

as in to abuse

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon some of the employees felt so ill-used by the new manager that they quit

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-use

Verb

When Platner arrived, the place seemed haunted not only by American misconduct but also by Saddam Hussein’s use of it to imprison and abuse political dissidents during his reign.

— Jasper Craven, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
To overturn the trial court's decision would require an appellate court to find that the trial court abused its discretion ― which is a very high bar to hurdle.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

Parents lodged complaints about coaches, at least one athlete claimed they were being bullied and harassed by a teammate, and rival programs raised concerns about the team’s behavior in competitions.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026
For a long time, our leading hypothesis was bullying and violence, but that may be a bit impractical, given their kingdoms are vast networks of tunnels that can stretch for up to three kilometers.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026

Definition of bully

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ill-usages

ill-use

ill-used

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“Ill-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-use. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill-use

verb

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