Synonyms of mistreating

mistreating

verb

present participle of mistreat

as in abusing

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

the foster parent who had been mistreating his charges was sent to jail

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abusing
• torturing
• bullying
• maltreating
• brutalizing
• injuring
• oppressing
• misusing
• manhandling
• ill-treating
• violating
• mishandling
• persecuting
• hurting
• taking apart
• harassing
• molesting
• tormenting
• harming
• ill-using
• messing over
• outraging
• victimizing
• wronging
• kicking around
• working (over)
• sandbagging
• beating (up)
• burning
• roughing (up)
• messing (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fostering
• nurturing
• cherishing
• caring (for)
• favoring
• indulging
• spoiling
• gratifying
• humoring
• coddling
• catering (to)
• pampering
• babying
• mollycoddling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mistreating

Neighbors said the man began kicking and mistreating the dog before eventually luring the husky away from the yard with food. — Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Ever since these rideshare companies began in the early 2010s, they have been scrutinized for underpaying and mistreating drivers. — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

My friend is going through an extremely tough time with a guy who’s mistreating her. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2026

Even more consequentially, some jihadi groups turned Muslim publics against them by mistreating Muslim civilians. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

Kanye West is facing another lawsuit accusing him of mistreating a fellow musician. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026

In their July 30 letter, lawmakers noted that there have been at least 15 incidents since 2023 involving staff physically mistreating children at the Morgantown facility, as documented by Pennsylvania state inspectors. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

At the end, Morrison made the boy apologize to his classmates for mistreating them. — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 15 July 2026

Collin — who has accused Kate of mistreating him during his childhood — responded to his mom on his Instagram Stories. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026