ill-treat

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 ill-treat 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-treat
Verb
  • The Commission said Google’s market power has been abused since 2014.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Moore previously served as the defense attorney for Louise and David Turpin, the California couple who abused and imprisoned their 13 children and dependent adults in a 'house of horrors' for years.
    Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Victor’s own father is obsessed with legacy and perfection and mistreats his boy, and that cycle continues with Victor and the Creature.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Newsrooms — like many other companies, amid a tight labor market and booming economy — responded with intense sympathy for junior employees who felt mistreated by managers and bullied by untouchable stars.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Social media can’t replace offline resources for children who are being maltreated.
    Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
  • One to One concert the duo organized as a response to Geraldo Rivera’s truly shocking exposé of the Willowbrook institution, where children with disabilities were horrifically maltreated and abused.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The first touchdown of the year was bullied into the end zone by Williams, who wouldn’t be done in this game.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Owen's best friend, Khloe Wilson, was suspected of sending the messages early in the investigation due to past tensions with Lauryn and bullying accusations.
    Allison DeGrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Emily Brontë appears in every way indifferent to the need for love and companionship that tortured the lives of her sisters.
    Emily Temple September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Jamie Simpson of Covington was sentenced in March to 60 years in prison for holding his wife captive and torturing her for hours before barricading himself inside her home in a lengthy standoff with police.
    Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ill-treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treat. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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