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

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

After reporting Lopez missing last September, Lopez’s daughter told a detective that Yepez had been mistreating her mother at work, the police report said. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically. — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026

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