ILL-TREATED Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-treated

verb

past tense of ill-treat

as in abused

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon anyone who ill-treats their pets should not be allowed to have any

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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-treated 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 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-treated

Verb

Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it.

— Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026
Prosecutors have alleged that Millete physically abused May, pointing to her past journal entries.

— Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

There’s a lot of talk about dogs being bred and sold, and Lopez said she’s seen evidence of animals being mistreated.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
By 1790, half of the world's coffee was being grown in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, in what is today Haiti, Pendergrast says, where slaves were routinely mistreated, raped and murdered.

— James Doubek, NPR, 3 July 2026

Definition of mistreated

Verb

Walker was abducted, raped, tortured and murdered after attending a Valentine’s Day dance with her boyfriend.

— Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
The actual abduction was committed, according to the feds, by supermarket owner Abu Chowdhury — who’s accused of heading a kidnapping ring that also snatched and tortured two men who crossed his vengeful wife, Iffat Lubna.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026

Definition of tortured

Verb

Bang-geul was bullied by her older half-siblings, who looked down on their younger sister because of her mom’s former status as a domestic employee.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 July 2026
This was a rabid, partisan home-soil advantage that flat-out bullied the squad into surviving.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Definition of bullied

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“Ill-treated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treated. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill-treated

verb

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