as in insulting
marked by harsh insulting language
never one to believe that honorable people can disagree honorably, he invariably launches abusive attacks against anyone who dares to challenge him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abusive
The four-part Investigation Discovery series The Fall of Diddy looks into the making and unmaking of the producer-performer-entrepreneur, revealing a history of alleged abusive and destructive behavior by Combs that dates to the late 1980s.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 26 Apr. 2025
And the episode just before this one argued that an abusive man in that mold can be bested by women, plural, who are looking out for and working alongside one another.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Maureen Maher: Molly has said that Jason was verbally abusive, had started becoming physically abusive.
—Maureen Maher, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2025
Huge Fed Challenge—Sparking Stock Market Plunge As Gold And Bitcoin Price Soar
New Gmail Warning — Do Not Open This Email From Google
Cena called out fans for being abusive, only to cheer for Heel Cena without apologizing.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 26 Apr. 2025
And the episode just before this one argued that an abusive man in that mold can be bested by women, plural, who are looking out for and working alongside one another.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Maureen Maher: Molly has said that Jason was verbally abusive, had started becoming physically abusive.
—Maureen Maher, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2025
Huge Fed Challenge—Sparking Stock Market Plunge As Gold And Bitcoin Price Soar
New Gmail Warning — Do Not Open This Email From Google
Cena called out fans for being abusive, only to cheer for Heel Cena without apologizing.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
-
But in March, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Wash., ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.—
Mark Sherman,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
But to suggest that the declining birth rate is largely a function of people not knowing how their bodies work is both insulting and ignorant of the real issue.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Stripping a legislator of the power to vote over her opinions is outrageous.—
Dan McLaughlin,
National Review,
2 May 2025
-
This is outrageous and the railroad must be overruled by President Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and New York politicians, particularly Republicans who have good relations with the White House, have to raise the alarm.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This social justice kitsch becomes a mildly obscene evocation of racial terrorism.—
Armond White,
National Review,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In return, the Bears received a treasure chest of compensation that has now netted them Moore, Williams, offensive tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and punter Tory Taylor.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2025
-
On Thursday night, the Jets fortified their offensive line by selecting right tackle Armand Membou at No. 7 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These attacks work by causing a software package to access the wrong component dependency, for instance by publishing a malicious package and giving it the same name as the legitimate one but with a later version stamp.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump’s vituperative persona, his enmity toward multilateralism, and his extreme policy agenda could easily sink the United States’ prospects for meaningful leadership of the G-20.—
Leslie Vinjamuri,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Nov. 2024
-
Unlike Rhoades, a vituperative colossus, however, Williams brings a steely determination and a Joe Friday, just-the-facts mien to his lawyering in the court of public opinion.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
One upshot was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which to this day insulates social media from legal liability for the content — however incendiary or scurrilous — that users post.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Facts won’t deter Republicans on this point, however, for the same reason that Trump and his running mate, J. D. Vance, keep repeating their scurrilous lies about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of Ohio: white anxiety about a diversifying country has become one of the Party’s greatest assets.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
The New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
In the same year, Disney’s ESPN had to contend with host Pat McAfee, a rambunctious host, hurling invective at a former senior executive, Norby Williamson, who the host alleged had tried to sabotage his program.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Photo: YouTube Cummings is known as a roast comic, an artist of invective.—
Kerry Howley,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share