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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-using

Verb

The woman Morris was convicted of abusing, Cindy Clemishire, has filed a $1 million defamation suit against Morris, the church, former and current elders, and a former church employee in Dallas County.

— Giles Hudson, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
One of them, a shorter, bearded man with a nose reddened and swollen from years of abusing liquor, gave a low whistle.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

His distance from Henry was painfully emphasized when his son got in trouble for bullying another classmate, and the idea of Michelle (Andrea Anders) getting engaged to someone else sent him into a tailspin.

— Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
One dad who recently found out his child was engaged in bullying activity took to Reddit to share his experience.

— Christian Dashiell, Parents, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of bullying

Verb

Chilean prosecutors believe Ojeda died while his captors were torturing him to get information about the Venezuelan political opposition.

— Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
In addition to its prior ties to al-Qaeda, HTS has been accused by the UN and other organizations of human rights abuses against women and children, as well as torturing and executing detainees.

— Connor Greene, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of torturing

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-uses

ill-using

illusion

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ill-using.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-using. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ill-using

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

invidious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes