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
The transactions described below are abusive.
—
Carrie Brandon Elliot, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Meursault also starts hanging out with his shady and brutish French neighbor, Raymond (Pierre Lottin), whose abusive relationship with an Algerian girl (Hajar Bouzaouit) eventually leads to the murder.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Minors don’t typically have the legal or financial power to move out of an abusive home or start seeing a therapist without parental involvement.
—Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
As the young protagonist, Wil Wheaton channeled his own abusive childhood into his role as the younger boy in a family grieving the loss of beloved elder son Denny (John Cusack).
—Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Carrie Brandon Elliot, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Meursault also starts hanging out with his shady and brutish French neighbor, Raymond (Pierre Lottin), whose abusive relationship with an Algerian girl (Hajar Bouzaouit) eventually leads to the murder.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Minors don’t typically have the legal or financial power to move out of an abusive home or start seeing a therapist without parental involvement.
—Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
As the young protagonist, Wil Wheaton channeled his own abusive childhood into his role as the younger boy in a family grieving the loss of beloved elder son Denny (John Cusack).
—Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
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Mimicking the president's style on social media, the governor has posted in all caps and employed insulting nicknames for political opponents.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
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Those found guilty of criticizing, insulting, defaming or threatening the king, queen, or heir apparent can be jailed for between three and 15 years for each count, with some sentences stretching to 50 years.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory, and mischief unfolds.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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With eviction just around the corner, the duo embarks on a wild hustle through Los Angeles, pulling off increasingly outrageous stunts to stay afloat — while trying to keep their friendship from going under.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The couple quickly began receiving death threats and obscene phone calls.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
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Banners or signs may not be commercial in nature or obscene, or cause any disturbance to other fans.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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If one employee spots profanity or offensive language in an application, then it is sent to another employee, and possibly moved up the chain.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
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The preseason play wasn’t encouraging, and Canales’ decision to rest the starters in the exhibition finale looks even more puzzling in hindsight, especially after the offensive group produced three three-and-outs and one touchdown drive.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, which potentially accesses your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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When Tony's security company faces an attack from unknown malicious forces, the family goes on the run across Europe while figuring out who is after them, according to Paramount.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Transcripts of the depositions conducted by utility lawyers were made public Friday in Superior Court and hundreds of pages of questions and answers suggest questions about who contributed what to the vituperative oped may never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
25 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
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Still, people are allowed to form their own opinions and have their own preferences — and that shouldn’t come with vitriolic attacks on social media.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
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Reaching consensus on the approach that will work best to meet the short and long-term needs of poor families means everyone must move away from absolutist positions, and discussions concerning the issue must be comprehensive, open and honest rather than accusatory and vitriolic.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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