mistreat

verb

mis·​treat ˌmis-ˈtrēt 

mistreated; mistreating; mistreats

transitive verb

: to treat badly : abuse

mistreatment

ˌmis-ˈtrēt-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of mistreat

• abuse
• bully
• oppress

Examples of mistreat in a Sentence

They accuse him of mistreating his wife.

She claimed she had been mistreated by the police.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ultimately, the show attempts to draw a parallel between Lizzie Borden and Aileen Wuornos, portraying them as two women abused and mistreated by society who dared to fight back. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026

Even more consequentially, some jihadi groups turned Muslim publics against them by mistreating Muslim civilians. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

The other has been dismissed or mistreated in a clinic before, and reads the same sentence as confirmation that they were not told the whole story the first time. — Aleeza Gerstein, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Creative labor certainly seems to be disappearing as studios experiment with generative AI, and artists and craftspeople are rightly afraid of being further mistreated, devalued, or replaced. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mistreat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

mistreat

verb

mis·​treat (ˈ)mis-ˈtrēt 

: to treat badly : abuse

mistreatment

-mənt 

noun