mistreat

verb

mis·​treat ˌmis-ˈtrēt How to pronounce mistreat (audio)
mistreated; mistreating; mistreats

transitive verb

: to treat badly : abuse
mistreatment noun

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 Robert De Niro won his second Academy Award for playing the central boxer as a human embodiment of stubbornness and the worst aspects of masculinity, spending the majority of the movie mistreating and abusing the people around him. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Jolie made explosive claims in court papers, alleging that a drunken Pitt mistreated her and their six children on the 2016 plane ride from France to Los Angeles, which prompted her to file for divorce. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 When Kaplan asked if members of the jury pool felt he they'd been mistreated by the court system, Trump subtly raised his hand, to laughter from the gallery. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 Sarah Snook revealed that she was mistreated by both a casting director and film producer in the early part of her career. Michaela Zee, Variety, 14 Jan. 2024 An animal who was hungry all the time in an earlier life may be defensive or agitated around meals, just like a cat who was mistreated by previous owners might be anxious around people. Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The $10,000 fine against Smart & Final, the warehouse-style supply chain, and $5,000 fine against a contractor Smart & Final relied on for security services were issued after investigators concluded a Black shopper had been mistreated. Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The Humane Society houses lost, abandoned and mistreated animals and is Butler County's longest-operating shelter. Erin Glynn, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 Arab American civil rights advocates have previously said the department sometimes mistreated its immigrant residents. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mistreat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mistreat was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mistreat

Cite this Entry

“Mistreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistreat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mistreat

verb
mis·​treat (ˈ)mis-ˈtrēt How to pronounce mistreat (audio)
: to treat badly : abuse
mistreatment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mistreat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!