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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abusive
But the episode makes a mockery of what Mulumba and his family went through at the hands of his abusive father.
—
John J. Lennon
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
In this exclusive excerpt, Lennon delves into Hale’s rough background, what led him to, in his telling, kill his older, allegedly abusive boyfriend — and the law that could one day set him free.
—John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
The workers in large industrial mines, who are more often male, also face abusive conditions and need fair wages in order to support their families, says Anneke Van Woudenberg, executive director of RAID, a corporate watchdog organization.
—Xanthe Scharff, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
One roommate drinks and becomes verbally abusive to me and his boyfriend.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
John J. Lennon
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
In this exclusive excerpt, Lennon delves into Hale’s rough background, what led him to, in his telling, kill his older, allegedly abusive boyfriend — and the law that could one day set him free.
—John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
The workers in large industrial mines, who are more often male, also face abusive conditions and need fair wages in order to support their families, says Anneke Van Woudenberg, executive director of RAID, a corporate watchdog organization.
—Xanthe Scharff, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
One roommate drinks and becomes verbally abusive to me and his boyfriend.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
-
To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Sack Dress was outrageous, really outrageous.—
Sarah Mower,
Vogue,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But Driss has fielded his share of outrageous custom requests.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Banners or signs may not be commercial in nature or obscene, or cause any disturbance to other fans.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Workers described incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including reports from women workers who said they had been manhandled and subjected to obscene remarks and threats.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There are questions about Towns, who is a very potent offensive threat but hasn't lived up to his potential defensively.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The change also aligned with the WHO’s guidelines for naming diseases, which emphasize avoiding names that are offensive to cultural groups, or that negatively impact trade, tourism, or animal welfare.—
Dr. Nikki Romanik,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Lorena, now 55, was charged with malicious wounding, a felony offense, but was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity following a two-week trial in early 1994.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In the years intervening, the poem has remained a lodestar, a contravening presence when, in present day America’s vituperative political landscape, the humanities disciplines and higher education itself has been forced to invoke and defend its own authority.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Even the company’s most vituperative detractors acknowledge its engineering genius and applaud its success in driving down launch expenses (unlike many defense contractors, SpaceX largely eats the cost of its failures).—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
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Players known for sometimes scurrilous behavior were scared off by that lifetime ban.—
John Nogowski,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
One of the most viral and vitriolic critiques came from Crissle West, co-host of the popular pop-culture podcast The Read.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
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But the vitriolic attacks and reemerging calls to boycott the Super Bowl come as no surprise.—
Raquel Reichard,
Refinery29,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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