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

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

Iran has bombarded several of its neighbors’ data centers, and the United States responded by attacking one of Iran’s.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
That’s in stark contrast to their arachnid cousins, spiders, whose females that tend to be violent, attacking and eating the males.

— Christa Lesté-Lasserre, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacking

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

Verb

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
Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?

— Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 June 2026

Definition of ambushing

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

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

Gunther slowed the match down, mauling Aldis and sending him flying into the corner.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
In July 2025, the San Bernardino Police Department said one of its officers fatally shot a dog after responding to an incident in which a woman later died from her injuries believed to have been caused by the dog mauling.

— Paris Barraza, USA Today, 21 July 2026

Definition of mauling

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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 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of maltreating

verb

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