abuse 1 of 2

abuse

2 of 2

verb

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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

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word abuse distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of abuse are billingsgate, invective, obloquy, and vituperation. While all these words mean "vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval," abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

scathing verbal abuse

When might billingsgate be a better fit than abuse?

While in some cases nearly identical to abuse, billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

When would invective be a good substitute for abuse?

In some situations, the words invective and abuse are roughly equivalent. However, invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

blistering political invective

When is obloquy a more appropriate choice than abuse?

While the synonyms obloquy and abuse are close in meaning, obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

subjected to obloquy and derision

Where would vituperation be a reasonable alternative to abuse?

The words vituperation and abuse can be used in similar contexts, but vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

a torrent of vituperation

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 abuse
Noun
The Department of Justice (DOJ) also found that at least one of the eight officers accused of committing the abuse would retaliate against his victims who tried to speak out against him with physical violence and intimidation. Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025 The physical abuse and verbal abuse, the mental and emotional abuse was not right. Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 18 June 2025
Verb
The caller told Utah police that she was being abused and claimed individuals blocked the doorway to prevent her from entering the home. Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025 The estranged wife of actor Scott Wolf was seemingly detained by law enforcement during an Instagram livestream, during which she can be heard scolding officers and alleging she was abused. Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for abuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuse
Noun
  • Under it, anyone who defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, heir apparent, or regent faces three to 15 years in prison.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 26 June 2025
  • In the video, Songz is seen locked in a tense exchange with an unidentified man, with both hurling insults and threats in an escalating war of words.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • While e-scooters and e-bikes offer convenient transportation, their misuse and lack of dedicated infrastructure contribute to accidents.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 24 June 2025
  • Transparency—through your own standards and external regulations such as HIPAA—can prevent data misuse. 3.
    Salman Shahid, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • In the extreme, influencers are building social-media empires by bullying women into cutting calories and exercising for hours a day.
    Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025
  • One more user reminded viewers to learn from the online bullying fellow islander Huda Mustafa, a 24-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, faced earlier in the season.
    Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Boone acknowledged that location will be key for Stroman, who can no longer attack hitters head-on at this stage of his career.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
  • The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Athit Perawongmetha | Reuters China is devising more ways for foreign institutions to use the yuan, as international confidence in the U.S. dollar falters.
    Lee Ying Shan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 25 June 2025
  • Testers reported the sterilizer works well and that using it is a breeze.
    Olivia Campbell, Parents, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Lander’s criticism of Israel is much more muted and that of a liberal Zionist.
    Steven W. Thrasher June 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
  • After Fox News announced Trump's hiring, criticism followed.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Nicolás Maduro and his enforcers are running a criminal narco-terrorist dictatorship that jails political opponents, tortures dissidents, and crushes any hope of free expression.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025
  • An immigration judge determined that he would likely be persecuted or tortured if deported to Guatemala again, and granted him an order protecting him from removal.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Paul Krugman has referred to deficit hawks as ‘deficit scolds’, because the spend more time warning about the dangers of the deficit than fixing it.
    Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.
    Ally Goelz, The Washington Examiner, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuse. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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