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

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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
  • Before his recent arrest, Habib had a history of substantiated misconduct complaints about excessive force and abusing his authority.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hostile SIMs can enter the wild through infected SIM software updates, rogue cellular operators abusing remote management platforms, or supply-chain tampering during manufacturing.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • So too are there similarities to the Brentford side that came up under Thomas Frank, given their set-piece credentials and attacking variety.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Fishback has been aggressively attacking Donalds over his politics and his race while holding rallies across the state drawing crowds of young men motivated by his hard-right campaign promises.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • 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
  • Working off a few vague details, Bret begins to imagine a link between Robert and a serial killer known as the Trawler, who has been abducting and torturing young women around Los Angeles.
    — Leo Lasdun, New Yorker, 5 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
  • But, said Vincent Joralemon, a director at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law & Technology, the states aren’t asking for Meta to be held liable over predatory or bullying messages on their own.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • These numbers do not mean every disagreement counts as bullying.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 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.

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maltreated
maltreating
maltreatment
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Cite this Entry

“Maltreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreating. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on maltreating

Nglish: Translation of maltreating for Spanish Speakers

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