1
as in bullied
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacked
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 misused
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 exploited
to take unfair advantage of
abused his parents' trust, pilfering small amounts from them that he hoped they wouldn't notice
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in maltreated
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abused
The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
His wife convinced him there would be no better home for this abused infant than theirs.
—Scott Craven, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
There were ugly scenes at the Bethpage golf course throughout yesterday’s second day of play as European players, McIlroy in particular, were routinely heckled and abused by rowdy fans, including while standing over shots.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abused
Verb
Neuroscientists have found that an abused child’s brain will not mature as easily.
—The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
His wife convinced him there would be no better home for this abused infant than theirs.
—Scott Craven, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
Adjective
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said the woman had been abused throughout the night and was unable to call 911.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
There were ugly scenes at the Bethpage golf course throughout yesterday’s second day of play as European players, McIlroy in particular, were routinely heckled and abused by rowdy fans, including while standing over shots.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abused
Verb
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After getting bullied in elementary school, his mom, the comic book writer Elaine Lee, homeschooled him.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
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In fact, this whole jaunt to Flatbush has been a somewhat haunting trip down memory lane for Oliver, who has been having flashbacks of being bullied and judged for his little purple scarf and penchant for the arts.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Eagles attacked Skinner again, and the home crowd begged for a flag after the safety aggressively defended tight end Dallas Goedert, but no penalty was called.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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In the southern border city of Sderot, which was attacked on October 7, and is frequently the target of rocket fire, a group of Israelis gathered at an observation deck overlooking Gaza to revel in its ruin.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Bell concluded that the plaintiffs failed to show that their data was misused as a result of the breach.—
Chase Jordan
October 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
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But all of these things are used as evidence — sometimes the sole evidence — that a person misused their benefits.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In March, Google addressed CVE-2025-2783, a sandbox escape bug exploited in espionage attacks against Russian organizations.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Roseman’s answer at the time sidestepped a question about a post-Darius Slay drop-off at CB2 that has since been exploited at times this season, but Mitchell and DeJean’s play has also justified Roseman’s confidence in them.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is the cost of having been tortured in public.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Hoping to better understand the demand for smutty scares, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville (Olivia Williams), spend an interminable evening at the theater surrounded by people throwing popcorn and making out while the topless woman onscreen is tortured and killed in a masked man’s dungeon.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And in a different year, with a different quarterback, the outcome was the same early in Monday night’s first quarter as Higgins pivoted to his back-shoulder and slammed to the turf with a 19-yard catch.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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Tatiana slammed the horn and floored the gas pedal, roaring into her backyard.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The real fiends were the ones who perverted science, who attacked this misunderstood giant out of fear, who branded him as something unholy and unworthy to exist, who gave him life but didn’t give him love.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
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Instead, the concept has been perverted to mean higher-ed grandees' exclusive right to determine who participates in scholarly life.—
Ilya Shapiro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
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Photos used in this column were made possible by the Barry Bingham Jr.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abused. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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