ILL-USING Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-using

verb

present participle of ill-use

as in abusing

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon some of the employees felt so ill-used by the new manager that they quit

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-using

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

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

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

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ill-uses

ill-using

illusion

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

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Synonyms of ill-using

verb

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