ILL-TREATING Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-treating

verb

present participle of ill-treat

as in abusing

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-treating

Verb

Berry’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez accused the actor of physically abusing their 12-year-old son last month.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
As reports of officers abusing Flock have made headlines and the company has become increasingly controversial, hundreds of cities and counties have ended or suspended their contracts with the company, or decided not to renew them.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

In 1996, Pike was found guilty of first-degree murder for beating, torturing and killing Slemmer, a fellow Jobs Corps worker, in a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
In 1995, Christa Pike confessed to murdering and torturing her classmate Colleen Slemmer.

— Robert Gebelhoff, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of torturing

Verb

Grande had been the subject of a wave of speculation, concern and bullying regarding her physical appearance following images of the actress-singer going viral in late July.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
But Gresko, who alleges that some of her older children had also experienced bullying at the school, says the school never contacted her.

— Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of bullying

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.

Browse Nearby Words

ill-treated

ill-treating

ill-treatment

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ill-treating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treating. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ill-treating

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

regimen

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes