as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
anyone who ill-treats their pets should not be allowed to have any
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Recent Examples of ill-treat
Declarants describe detentions following their civil immigration arrests that deprived them of basic human dignity, including being ill-treated, with inadequate food and uncomfortable and crowded sleeping facilities, and being denied medical attention.
—
New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
But that shouldn’t, in my mind, make an excuse for ill-treating a patient.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 26 Sep. 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
New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
But that shouldn’t, in my mind, make an excuse for ill-treating a patient.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 26 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-treat
Verb
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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said Kayode Agbolade Ogunba allegedly abused patients at a local care home.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The victim-survivor in this case was not the only child Weberman abused.—
Guila Benchimol,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Legal Accountability Project claims circuit court executives failed to intervene when Merriam continued to mistreat staff after the first complaint.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
1 Jan. 2026
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In its statement following his death, PETA accused Easley of mistreating the tigers under his care.—
Brian Brant,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Social media can’t replace offline resources for children who are being maltreated.—
Laura Schwab Reese,
The Conversation,
2 Sep. 2025
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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
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For the second game running, Omari Hutchinson was too easily bullied off the ball in a dangerous area.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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Though the basics are similar, the improvements and extras combine to bully its predecessor into storage, and the Roadie 4 now has pride of place in the accessories cubby of my guitar's travel case.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And so even people who were heroes of the nation, they were beaten, tortured, taken for reeducation.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
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In 1980, the shah admitted to mistakes, including acknowledging that his regime had tortured Iranians.—
Eric Lob,
The Conversation,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ill-treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treat. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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