abusively

Definition of abusivelynext

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 abusively 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
  • For many, qualifying will represent the fruition of a lifelong, viciously competitive goal.
    NBC news, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Nickerson, 13, succumbed to his injuries two days after he was viciously attacked by two Cane Corsos and a Rottweiler, according to CBC, Global News and The Globe and Mail.
    Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • In a scene straight from a horror movie, Carillo’s stomach was savagely cut open, blood everywhere.
    Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Relatives said the timing of the broad-daylight attack made Ennin’s death that much more difficult to deal with, knowing that his reward for long-overdue time off was being savagely knifed to death on his first day back at work.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • Nina has no mentor to look up to; Beth, the former prima ballerina played by Winona Ryder, has been ruthlessly excised from the company for being too old.
    Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Erik Satie took down the arrogance of late Romantic classical music, gently but ruthlessly taking up its vocabulary and removing all the excess, including authorship.
    Jeremy Denk, The New York Review of Books, 25 Dec. 2025
Adverb
  • The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.
    Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • For the past few months, thousands of people have been sharing their sightings online and mercilessly poking fun.
    CBS News, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Back in their teenage years, Lexi’s older sister Andrea is depicted as a mean girl who ridicules Catherine mercilessly.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • 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
  • Sahroni has faced accusations of responding insensitively to people calling for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers’ allowances.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.
    Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.
    Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.
    EW.com, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • There is a troubling suggestion of abuse, implying that Jack might have been ill-treated by his mom (and saved by Helen), rather than heartlessly abandoned.
    Tomris Laffly, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abusively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusively. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on abusively

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!