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

Neighbors said the man began kicking and mistreating the dog before eventually luring the husky away from the yard with food. — Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Last year outside attorneys spent months investigating allegations that director John Youngquist mistreated employees of color. — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Ever since these rideshare companies began in the early 2010s, they have been scrutinized for underpaying and mistreating drivers. — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

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

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