1
as in insult
harsh insulting language
hometown fans hurled abuse at the visiting team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misuse
incorrect or improper use
naturally the furniture had received a lot of abuse from the 10 kids in the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bully
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a demanding, difficult patient who constantly abuses the nurses and aides
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
if you abuse your baseball bat by using it to hammer nails, don't expect it to last long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
abused his parents' trust, pilfering small amounts from them that he hoped they wouldn't notice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abuse
Otto Rabe, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
Substance abuse was forbidden, though late in her tenure Daedone was alleged to have thrown some LSD into the mix.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
On Friday, California’s 4th District Court of Appeal said that the city violated California’s Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and abused its power in putting the ballot measure before voters without the proper analysis.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Noun
According to Bookman, his partner was struggling with substance abuse and was barely able to stay afloat, even with the success of his invention.
—Otto Rabe, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
Substance abuse was forbidden, though late in her tenure Daedone was alleged to have thrown some LSD into the mix.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Ticketmaster is trying to address the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission with several moves intended to block scalpers from abusing the platform.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
On Friday, California’s 4th District Court of Appeal said that the city violated California’s Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and abused its power in putting the ballot measure before voters without the proper analysis.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuse
Noun
-
The Special Olympics has been fighting against the discriminatory use of the word since the term’s early days as an insult.—
Kate Reilly,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The race has been no short of dogged, as insults between the candidates on the debate stage have led to archives investigations and defamation lawsuit threats.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Philippines witnessed tens of thousands of Filipinos flooding the streets for days to protest government corruption and misuse of funds intended for flood control projects.—
Michael Shank,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Institutional abuse and misuse of those rules.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the lawsuit, Ring’s family alleged that the middle school knew that the teen was being bullied for being trans, and wasn’t providing a safe environment, per KREM.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
31 Oct. 2025
-
At the same time, Stella also got bullied for her seborrheic dermatitis, a different inflammatory skin condition that cropped up on her scalp and created visible patches of flaky skin.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Vinicius Jr also thrived in the Italian’s counter-attacking tactical setup, which was designed at least in part to suit his pace and direct running, and delivered the club’s two most recent Champions League trophies in 2022 and 2024.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The only thing that carries any water is making up something to attack Gretchen.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Cousin, who is CEO of FSF Ventures, a nonprofit focused on sustainable food business models, believes investments like AI will help spur productivity in land already used for cultivation.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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One post on the platform included a screenshot of a season 4 scene where Will uses a conversation about Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to reveal his true feelings for Mike.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The 21-year-old wildlife conservationist and son of famed zookeeper and television personality Steve Irwin further elaborated just why Russell's constructive criticism means so much.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Chmerkovskiy then also remarked on the public's criticisms about his DWTS tenure.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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George Clooney is looking back at one of the more surreal moments from his early Hollywood days — getting personally scolded by the legendary Frank Sinatra.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
26 Oct. 2025
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That is the adage used to scold someone whose gaze is fixed on a particular subject a little too long.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuse. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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