ill-used

Definition of ill-usednext
past tense of ill-use

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-used
Verb
  • The defendants' sentences were reduced because they were abused by the victims, in accordance with the New York Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, legislation that Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney criticized.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Election administrators around the country who have been abused and harassed for the past six years are keeping a wary eye on the resurgence of the conspiracy theories.
    Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • By the time Zoe turns up dead, stabbed to death in her bathtub, Anna begins to put the pieces together that Lexi, her work nemesis, is actually Catherine—the girl her friends had bullied at school.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
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

Cite this Entry

“Ill-used.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-used. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!