as in abusing
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
the foster parent who had been mistreating his charges was sent to jail
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of mistreating
His tenure at Texas Tech came to a messy and uncomfortable end when he was fired for cause after being accused of mistreating a player with a concussion.
—
Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Your daughter is mistreating you.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Activists accused the facility of mistreating the dogs that were being bred for laboratory testing.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 8 May 2026
In the film, Reeves portrays Reef Hawk, a superstar actor who realizes he's been mistreating people around him for decades after an anonymous extortionist threatens to publish a video of him that would ruin his career.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
People created memes and videos mocking Roan for mistreating children.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello is accusing Chappell Roan‘s team of mistreating his 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in São Paulo.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Your daughter is mistreating you.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Activists accused the facility of mistreating the dogs that were being bred for laboratory testing.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 8 May 2026
In the film, Reeves portrays Reef Hawk, a superstar actor who realizes he's been mistreating people around him for decades after an anonymous extortionist threatens to publish a video of him that would ruin his career.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
People created memes and videos mocking Roan for mistreating children.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello is accusing Chappell Roan‘s team of mistreating his 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in São Paulo.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreating
Verb
-
Tom accuses me of physically abusing Nick Bilton.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
7 June 2026
-
Lots of presidents have deported migrants who are here unlawfully, but Trump has made a show of sending some to a foreign prison notorious for abusing inmates.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
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She was arrested at a hotel near the barn and booked at the Clark County Juvenile Hall on 12 counts of animal cruelty, including intentionally aiming or torturing a horse, as well as three counts of malicious destruction of property.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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She was later transported to the Clark County Juvenile Hall and charged with 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing an animal and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property valued at more than $5,000, police said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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August is a violent, domineering, bullying boss who starves and beats the animals in his circus and doesn’t treat his human workers much better.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
4 June 2026
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Keefer has emphasized student achievement and school safety, pointing to his support for programs focused on bullying prevention, suicide prevention and substance-use prevention as a Trustee.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreating. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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