MALTREATED Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

maltreated 1 of 2

adjective

as in abused

Related Words

Relevance

maltreated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of maltreat

as in bullied

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon a manager fired for maltreating the staff with needless insults a home for children who have been deprived and maltreated

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in attacked

to abuse physically if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 maltreated

Verb

Canadian researchers found that older adults who were maltreated as children may face a significantly higher risk of cancer decades later. — Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Apr. 2026 The Adams County Health and Human Services Department’s initial assessment indicated that the infant was maltreated, though a final autopsy report is still pending, TMZ reported. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026 Social media can’t replace offline resources for children who are being maltreated. — Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreated

Adjective

Sara O’Meara is a cofounder and CEO of Childhelp, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children.

— Sara O'Meara, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2026
More than two dozen abused animals were removed from a Brooklyn apartment, where they were cramped in cages, many covered with urine and feces, officials said Friday.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 19 June 2026

Definition of abused

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

Verb

With the wind and the sea now working against them, Odysseus and his men were next led to the Laestrygonian giants, who brutally attacked them, leaving them with only one ship and its crew.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Iran attacked a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait, the Gulf nation said on Saturday.

— Monica Haider, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

Where the film diverts from the norm lies in the unique, complicated characters and their weird, tortured even touching relationships.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 July 2026
Along these routes, the bulldozers piled up mounds to enclose fortified compounds, military outposts and detention facilities where Palestinians were interrogated and tortured.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Definition of tortured

Verb

Chris Brown was found liable by a Los Angeles jury on Tuesday for $13 million in the gruesome case of a dog that mauled and disfigured his housekeeper at his home in 2020.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026
Florida officials have identified the woman who died after she was mauled by an alligator while swimming in a river with her boyfriend and best friend over the weekend, and 911 calls detail the desperate attempt to save her life.

— Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of mauled

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

During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.

— James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of manhandled

Verb

The military convoy was leaving the northern town of Anefis and headed to Gao city when it was ambushed in the Sahara desert.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Nolan’s film has Telemachus and his trusted advisor, Mentor (Ryan Hurst), ambushed by the suitors at a temple dedicated to Apollo.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026

Definition of ambushed

Browse Nearby Words

maltreat

maltreated

maltreating

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Maltreated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreated. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of maltreated

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on maltreated

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dog days

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes