MALTREATING Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

maltreating

verb

present participle of maltreat

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

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as in attacking

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreating

Verb

At no point did anyone believe that Peyton Manning or SNL espoused abusing kids.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
According to Dutch News, Ben Saunders struggled with health issues and had various run-ins with law enforcement over the years, including a 2016 community service sentence for abusing a traffic official.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

But the crowd turned violent, attacking Black bystanders and out-of-state reporters, and the students were whisked away in police cars after only three and a half hours of class.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2026
Prosecutors assembled thousands of pages of text messages and emails, obtained bank and flight records, gathered corroborating witnesses, and collected video footage of freak-offs and the damning tape of Combs attacking Ventura.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

Barahona has been behind bars since March 2011 after being accused of killing Nubia and torturing her twin brother, Victor.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
Ontario County First Assistant District Attorney James Nobles told the court that Arzuaga was at the center of the group accused of torturing Nordquist to death.

— Madison Scott, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of torturing

Verb

Among Jackson, Flowers picking apart the Colts’ secondary and Henry bullying anyone in blue for three rushing touchdowns, poor Lou Anarumo, the Colts’ defensive coordinator, could not get out of Week 1 without feeling his seat simmering.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Therapy and support at the current school are often the first steps to help a child recover from bullying.

— Ash Jurberg, Parents, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of bullying

Verb

Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
Ashley Delaney of Polk City, who has served on the district's board since 2024, was charged in May with misdemeanor assault for allegedly manhandling the student.

— William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of manhandling

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.

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maltreated

maltreating

maltreatment

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“Maltreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreating. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of maltreating

verb

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