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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Recent Examples of mistreating
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
In January 2025, during an investigation by the Colorado Senate Committee on Ethics, Lewis forged several letters reportedly written by former aides to refute allegations that Lewis was mistreating staff.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Venezuela has also faced allegations of mistreating its political prisoners, in El Helicoide and elsewhere.
—Uriel Blanco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Shatzman said her group’s complaint is the first time a federal judge has been accused of mistreating staff after being reprimanded following an earlier accusation.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
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
In January 2025, during an investigation by the Colorado Senate Committee on Ethics, Lewis forged several letters reportedly written by former aides to refute allegations that Lewis was mistreating staff.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Venezuela has also faced allegations of mistreating its political prisoners, in El Helicoide and elsewhere.
—Uriel Blanco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Shatzman said her group’s complaint is the first time a federal judge has been accused of mistreating staff after being reprimanded following an earlier accusation.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreating
Verb
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The Federal Trade Commission, 18 states and Puerto Rico have accused the company of abusing its market position to inflate prices on other online retail platforms, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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The foster parents and their adult daughter pleaded guilty to abusing children in their care.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And which society is torturing the poets?—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
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The two defendants are Kevin Murray and Devon Daniels, who are convicted of murder, but have maintained their innocence and accused Kato of torturing them.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Online platforms are generally not legally responsible for the content that their users post; Meta, for example, would not be liable for bullying comments or imagery for self-harm posted onto Facebook.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Lendeborg had a highlight-reel dunk by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreating. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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