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

In June, Hilton returned to the Provo Canyon School to support two families who filed lawsuits alleging that their children were mistreated at the school. — ABC News, 17 July 2026

At the end, Morrison made the boy apologize to his classmates for mistreating them. — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 15 July 2026

Collin — who has accused Kate of mistreating him during his childhood — responded to his mom on his Instagram Stories. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

After reporting Lopez missing last September, Lopez’s daughter told a detective that Yepez had been mistreating her mother at work, the police report said. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 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