ABUSIVELY Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

abusively

adverb

as in viciously

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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 abusively Ritter has disciplined Menapace after the lawmaker acted rudely or abusively to a committee clerk. — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026 Instead, the justices suggested that the board should propose a state law that could impose penalties, such as reductions in attorneys’ fees, for lawyers who act abusively. — Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2026 When Rabbit asks to be the one to adopt Stacey after her graduation, Evelyn abusively rejects the notion and Rabbit is crushed. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusively

Adverb

Smashed with the instep of Mbappe’s right foot, the ball arced viciously into the top-right corner, beyond Bounou’s despairing dive.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 July 2026
At the end of a two-week trial, the verdict went strongly in favor of Maria Avila, who was viciously attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown, while emptying trash outside the singer’s Tarzana, California house.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026

Definition of viciously

Adverb

The same river that was savagely polluted by the mining industry, devastating the ancestral oasis of Quillagua.

— Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
In footage posted to X by former Mayor Eric Adams, dozens of bystanders can be seen filming as Jaden is savagely beaten, when one of his attackers draws a firearm and shoots him at point-blank range.

— Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026

Definition of savagely

Adverb

That pointed straight at a spillage from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 88th minute, punished ruthlessly by Merino for the decisive goal.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 July 2026
But when the swirl of events beyond their control caught them into something immeasurably larger than a single game of soccer, not even the strength of their new mentality was enough to prevent them from being ruthlessly swept away.

— Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026

Definition of ruthlessly

Adverb

In May 2025, the zoo posted a video of authorities taking a giraffe and accused them of seizing it inhumanely.

— Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 June 2026
The complaints also allege the 37 people detained were taken to the Broadview ICE detention center where they were treated inhumanely.

— Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 13 May 2026

Definition of inhumanely

Adverb

All Harris needed was a 10-men England side to hold on as El Tri mercilessly delivered crosses into the box.

— Fisher Isbell, AJC.com, 7 July 2026
It’s been blistering in New York City, with temperatures registering in the high 90s on successive days, then climbing to 100 degrees Thursday and mercilessly extending into the Fourth of July.

— Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026

Definition of mercilessly

Adverb

Residents were treated carelessly, disrespectfully, insensitively.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
In this volatile environment, comments that appear to minimize or frame the shooting insensitively—like Matt Gutman's—can quickly become career-ending.

— Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Definition of insensitively

Adverb

The department was known to operate callously, firing people by email or locking them out of buildings.

— Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Altman accused of making ChatGPT unsafe The lawsuit joins prior suits accusing Altman of callously deploying AI systems without regard for user safety.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026

Definition of callously

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“Abusively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusively. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of abusively

adverb

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