as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
the foster parent who had been mistreating his charges was sent to jail
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Recent Examples of mistreat
Women’s soccer has gone overlooked and mistreated for so long that scar tissue remains.
—
Emily Olsen, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026
As Thompson notes, Alice has been mistreated by the people of Dahlonega; yet, she’s entrusted with the keys to people’s homes, and with caring for and raising their children.
—Yohana Desta, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
The appeal of this approach is easy to see, especially for those on the right who have felt mistreated by American elites for years.
—Yuval Levin, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
Workers have reported feeling hungry, frustrated and mistreated, with some now discussing paying out of their own pockets to helicopter a food drop into the remote area.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mistreat
Emily Olsen, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026
As Thompson notes, Alice has been mistreated by the people of Dahlonega; yet, she’s entrusted with the keys to people’s homes, and with caring for and raising their children.
—Yohana Desta, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
The appeal of this approach is easy to see, especially for those on the right who have felt mistreated by American elites for years.
—Yuval Levin, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
Workers have reported feeling hungry, frustrated and mistreated, with some now discussing paying out of their own pockets to helicopter a food drop into the remote area.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mistreat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreat
Verb
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Construction is set to begin on a new center in Morgan Hill for abused and neglected children and their families next month.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Once installed, NexShield immediately starts abusing Chrome or Edge in the background.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rootselaar transitioned from male to female about six years ago and subsequently dropped out of school two years later, but McDonald said there is no evidence that Rootselaar dropped out due to bullying because of the transition.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
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For more than a year, high-ranking staffers have resigned, often in public fashion, and accused him of bullying them and abusing his office’s authority.—
Ryan Oehrli
February 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With many people around the world fighting for their freedom, Dallas’ historical cemetery stands as an example of how a group of people who were historically oppressed and enslaved could become free and prosperous.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
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The resultant impunity means people turn to alternative structures for protection, from vigilantes to the very criminals that oppress them.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreat. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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