as in abused
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as in bullied
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 mistreated
Aaron Heisen, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Several cases involve force and abuse The AP’s review found a pattern of charges involving ICE employees and contractors who mistreated vulnerable people in their care.
—Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The Rafah border crossing, meant to support the ceasefire, has seen minimal passage and reports of Palestinians being interrogated and mistreated.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Many Cuban Americans were mistreated and would probably like to return.
—Moriah Thomas, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Historically America’s lawmakers addressed the human and environmental impacts of the Industrial Revolution’s transformational technology only after rivers ran with toxic chemicals and mistreated workers picketed.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026
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
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
Verb
Despite his status as a transfer, Dent mistreated UCLA’s rival from the jump.
—Aaron Heisen, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Several cases involve force and abuse The AP’s review found a pattern of charges involving ICE employees and contractors who mistreated vulnerable people in their care.
—Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The Rafah border crossing, meant to support the ceasefire, has seen minimal passage and reports of Palestinians being interrogated and mistreated.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Many Cuban Americans were mistreated and would probably like to return.
—Moriah Thomas, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Historically America’s lawmakers addressed the human and environmental impacts of the Industrial Revolution’s transformational technology only after rivers ran with toxic chemicals and mistreated workers picketed.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreated
Adjective
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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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There’s Manny, Zitzs and EZ, who has a way with the girls; Izzy, an abused boy who hides his family’s secrets, and Gloria, as good at sports as the boys and so fierce nobody teases her little sister about her stutter.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There were times during manager David Moyes’ first stint at the club when Everton bullied United sides.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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But experts say he’s being socialized, not bullied, by other macaques.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The mother of Tilly Servin, a toddler who prosecutors believe was tortured to death in Long Beach last year, is suing Los Angeles County’s child protection agency for leaving her daughter in the custody of the child’s father, who was previously sentenced to four years in prison for child abuse.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Some detainees are tortured to get information about other protesters or to get confessions, usually admitting to working with foreign governments, which are often televised, according to Aban, who has documented over 300 confessions carried in various state media outlets since the protests began.—
Babak Dehghanpisheh,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreated. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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