maltreating

verb

present participle of maltreat
1
as in abusing
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacking
to abuse physically if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreating
  1. abusing
  2. attacking
  3. torturing
  4. ambushing
  5. bullying
  6. manhandling
  7. mistreating
  8. mauling
Verb
  • In addition to many successes, there is no record of his office abusing employees, leaking passwords, giving the public false information, or losing expensive reports.
    — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Roell was later accused of abusing nonverbal special-needs students at Crosby Elementary School, authorities said.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • Piker then fired back at Scholten on social media, accusing her of seeking attention and attacking him over his opposition to Zionism.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Binu Palal showed video of Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando Anderson.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • But, if not, then stop using the existence of those goals as a way of torturing yourself.
    — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Arabella’s adoptive mother, Leticia McCormack, and her parents, Adella and Stanley Tom, were arrested three months later and accused of torturing the young girl to death.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of torturing
Verb
  • After ambushing Nobel hopeful Kersten onboard, Wohmann makes multiple attempts to interview him.
    — Alissa Simon, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors, meanwhile, have alleged that Mangione meticulously planned the killing for months, documenting his thoughts in journals and traveling across the country before ambushing Thompson in New York City.
    — Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of ambushing
Verb
  • Trump has been bullying Canada since the start of his second term.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The source said the TCU staff was aware of mounting tensions, but viewed it as just a part of competitive football in fall camp, not bullying.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • But this year’s edition could be the best one yet, and the Wolverines will get a chance to prove that next week in Indianapolis after manhandling Tennessee 95-62 yesterday at the United Center to clinch a spot in the Final Four.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The Illini literally soaked in the celebration Thursday night after manhandling hometown favorite Houston to advance to the Elite 8 for the second time in three years.
    — Ryan Baker, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Definition of manhandling
Verb
  • Riddle says misdiagnosing and mistreating postpartum psychosis can have adverse effects on patients.
    — Louisa Moller, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Kanye West is facing another lawsuit accusing him of mistreating a fellow musician.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistreating
Verb
  • While the left guard competition remains open, Jones has been on the first string for over a week since replacing Connor Colby, and Jones stood out with an aggressive, mauling nature against the Titans.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Gunther slowed the match down, mauling Aldis and sending him flying into the corner.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of mauling
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

maltreated
maltreating
maltreatment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maltreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreating. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All