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
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
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
Verb
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreated
Adjective
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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
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Help for abused animals gets national recognition From backyard breeders to dog-fighting rings, smaller law enforcement agencies can quickly become overwhelmed when responding to major animal hoarding and abuse cases.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The emotional turning point came when footage showed the baby monkey being bullied by other monkeys in the troop, prompting a global wave of support.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
-
One video showed Punch being bullied by other monkeys in the troop, and that footage hit a nerve.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Villagrán conducted research on Chilean Air Force officers and non-commissioned officers who were tortured by their own comrades for refusing to participate in the coup.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Her husband says she has been tortured after her arrest.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreated. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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