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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For more on how attackers can abuse connected devices, see our report on how the FBI warned that more than 1 million Android devices were hijacked by malware.
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Some dogs fear brooms, vacuum cleaners or other household products, particularly if they’ve been hurt or abused in the past.
Verb
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Platner is also an unfaithful spouse who mistreats women.
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One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically.
Verb
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There are bosses in companies that maltreat their workers globally.
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Canadian researchers found that older adults who were maltreated as children may face a significantly higher risk of cancer decades later.
Verb
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This was a rabid, partisan home-soil advantage that flat-out bullied the squad into surviving.
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They got bullied in that one, showing a tremendous lack of physicality.
Verb
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What unfolds is a unique horror story that is unbelievably entertaining, psychologically torturing and incredibly fun.
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The brutal nature of her murder—she was believed to have been tortured, and her body was cut in half and provocatively posed—helped spark a media frenzy.
Cite this Entry
“Ill-treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treat. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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