as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
anyone who ill-treats their pets should not be allowed to have any
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
-
The pair also pretended that Tammy was allegedly abusing them.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
In handing down the sentence, Montenegro said Bonillo understood the scope of his misdeeds, abused his position of trust and used that position to enrich himself while undermining CBP’s main goal.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Much of the Shamblins’ lawsuit — echoing past claims of wrongdoing by families of users who were allegedly mistreated or supported in their bad acts by ChatGPT and other AI — traces his descent into despondency.—
Adam Carlson,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Two of Parcells’ first moves upon taking over as Miami’s vice president of football operations was to run off Zach Thomas, and to trigger a lifelong beef with Jason Taylor, mistreating both Hall of Famers.—
Omar Kelly
November 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 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
-
An unverified report circulated over the weekend that said Brown claimed Harbour bullied her on set.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The complaint alleges Kalumbula didn't protect the student when other students bullied him for having gay parents.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
After female marches, which became iconic in the Belarusian revolution 2020, of course, the regime started to arrest women too and torture them too, the same as men.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Daniel is just one of an unknown number of migrants who are currently being tortured on a near daily basis, somewhere in Libya’s Sahara Desert.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill-treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treat. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share