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abu·sive | \ ə-ˈbyü-siv 
also -ziv \
also -ziv \Definition of abusive
1a : using harsh, insulting language
an angry and abusive crowd
b : harsh and insulting
abusive language
c : using or involving physical violence or emotional cruelty
abusive behavior an abusive husband an abusive relationship
2 : characterized by wrong or improper use or action especially : corrupt abusive financial practices
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Synonyms for abusive
Synonyms
- contumelious,
- invective,
- opprobrious,
- scurrile
- (or scurril),
- scurrilous,
- truculent,
- vitriolic,
- vituperative,
- vituperatory
Examples of abusive in a Sentence
The fans yelled abusive comments to the referee.
protecting wives from abusive husbands
Recent Examples on the Web Current and former employees described an abusive work environment in which Harnden regularly unloaded on employees.
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Oliver Darcy, CNN, "Inside the climate of 'workplace terror and bullying' at the Washington Examiner, a conservative media outlet on the rise," 14 Feb. 2020 In case you were found to be in a relationship before wedlock, gently oppressive parents would threaten you with several days of curfew, and abusive oppressors like right-wing groups would threaten violence.
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Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "On Valentine’s Day, the feminist, the lover, and the liberal in me go to war," 13 Feb. 2020 With her focus primarily on changing the behavior of the reader, Thomas lets some of the more flagrantly abusive garment industrialists off too easily.
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Cintra Wilson, The New York Review of Books, "Waste Not, Shop Not," 11 Feb. 2020 Among other things, the 15-minute sessions teach young men how to intervene when witnessing abusive or disrespectful behaviors among their peers.
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Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The Cloud Hanging Over the Super Bowl," 30 Jan. 2020 What an off-the-record agreement with a reporter is not, is a shield against rude, abusive, or even criminal behavior.
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Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, "Memo to Mike Pompeo: Nothing is ever totally off the record," 30 Jan. 2020 Mozilla and Google are cracking down on malicious and abusive extensions available for the Firefox and Chrome browsers, respectively.
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Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "More than 200 browser extensions ejected from Firefox and Chrome stores," 30 Jan. 2020 The inquiry revealed that Natalie had secretly sent the abusive messages to herself.
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The Economist, "The bully in the black mirror Why more young Americans are cyber-bullying themselves," 11 Jan. 2020 By the time Gervais abandoned even the pretense of bonhomie to lay into tech corporations for abusive labor practices, the only thing left to do was drink.
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Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "A Chaotic Golden Globes for a Chaotic Moment," 6 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abusive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for abusive
abusive
adjectiveabu·sive | \ ə-ˈbyü-siv , -ziv \
, -ziv \Kids Definition of abusive
1 : using or involving harmful treatment
2 : using harsh insulting language
abusive comments
abusive
adjectiveabu·sive | \ ə-ˈbyü-siv, -ziv \
\Legal Definition of abusive
1 : characterized by wrong or improper use or action
abusive tax shelters
2 : inflicting verbal or physical abuse
abusive parents
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Comments on abusive
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Time Traveler for abusive
The first known use of abusive was in 1538
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