abusiveness

noun

as in cruelty

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusiveness
  1. cruelty
  2. hatred
  3. malevolence
  4. meanness
  5. viciousness
  6. malice
  7. spite
  8. maliciousness
Noun
  • Assembly Bill 2344 by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) would give animals seized in cruelty cases a respite from crowded shelters by allowing them to be placed in foster homes or with animal rescue groups.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The stupidity of losing his car was one thing; the cruelty of forcing her to make that choice was quite another.
    — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • The rivalry between the neighboring nations stretches back over 100 years on the pitch without ever being one that has slipped into hatred.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Proof that the babies aren’t born with hatred in their bellies and in their blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • The rise of Santa Muerte The other folk saint tied to narco culture is Santa Muerte, whose Grim Reaper appearance and relative obscurity prompt assumptions of malevolence.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026
  • Trying to find charm and not having malevolence as the intention, not trying to be evil, let the brilliant writing do that.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Definition of malevolence
Noun
  • Sometimes the irony turns bitter and, with a typically Eastern European sensibility, highlights the paradoxes of institutions, as well as the madness and meanness born from the pursuit and preservation of power.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 June 2026
  • After 1965, when African Americans’ right to vote was constitutionally recognized, the meanness continued.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2026
Definition of meanness
Noun
  • The jury further determined that the crimes involved a threat of great bodily harm and demonstrated a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness, the district attorney's office said.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 18 June 2026
  • The expediency of their exchanges (back and forth over a couple of weeks) electrified the planet, especially the mounting viciousness of Lamar’s attack (ad hominem all the way).
    — New York Times, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of viciousness
Noun
  • But on Wednesday, the jury in the latest trial found that MGA had not acted with malice, meaning no punitive damages would be awarded.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026
  • The company’s own investigation points less to malice than to a process that never engaged.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • In spite of their original values of humanitarianism and neutrality, these organizations have been morally debased from within, using the language of human rights and international justice yet deploying it on behalf of autocracies and against the liberal democracies that created them.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • The ball got away from Witt at short in spite of his best efforts to keep it on the infield.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026
Definition of spite
Noun
  • Rather than pursuing code maliciousness, limit code behavior regarding networking calls, file accesses and memory execution.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 Feb. 2026
Definition of maliciousness
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.

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abusively
abusiveness
abut
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Cite this Entry

“Abusiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusiveness. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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