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
Two of Parcells’ first moves upon taking over as Miami’s vice president of football operations was to run off Zach Thomas, and to trigger a lifelong beef with Jason Taylor, mistreating both Hall of Famers.
—
Omar Kelly
november 4, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Ridglan Farms, which was under investigation on allegations of mistreating its dogs, agreed to halt its breeding operation by July 1, meaning employees can no longer breed and sell beagles at the facility.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Israel has strongly denied allegations of mistreating the group.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
The facility has also faced allegations of mistreating prisoners.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Their family had accused the Taliban of mistreating the couple, and urged the government to explain why they had been detained.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Trump has alienated Brazil by defending its former president, charged with trying to overturn a legitimate election, and South Africa, accusing it of mistreating its White citizens.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Instead, scenes of life at the nunnery are interspersed with childhood memories, usually involving her mother assisting people in need or her classmates mistreating vulnerable children.
—Nathaniel Moore
september 10, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
John Amos‘ daughter has taken legal action against her brother with accusations of mistreating their father, which ultimately resulted in his death.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Omar Kelly
november 4, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Ridglan Farms, which was under investigation on allegations of mistreating its dogs, agreed to halt its breeding operation by July 1, meaning employees can no longer breed and sell beagles at the facility.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Israel has strongly denied allegations of mistreating the group.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
The facility has also faced allegations of mistreating prisoners.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Their family had accused the Taliban of mistreating the couple, and urged the government to explain why they had been detained.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Trump has alienated Brazil by defending its former president, charged with trying to overturn a legitimate election, and South Africa, accusing it of mistreating its White citizens.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Instead, scenes of life at the nunnery are interspersed with childhood memories, usually involving her mother assisting people in need or her classmates mistreating vulnerable children.
—Nathaniel Moore
september 10, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
John Amos‘ daughter has taken legal action against her brother with accusations of mistreating their father, which ultimately resulted in his death.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreating
Verb
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The pair also pretended that Tammy was allegedly abusing them.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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Archbishop Mitty product and San Jose native Aaron Gordon scored 18 while abusing Podziemski and other Warriors guards in the low post.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Hundreds — some with and some without criminal records — have vanished without due process indefinitely into the prison systems of other countries infamous for torturing inmates.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times editorial,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
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Dahbia Benkired was convicted of raping, torturing and killing Lola Daviet, according the BBC, BFMTV and The New York Times.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The idea of bullying states and cities into following orders from the president is a key part of the text, says David Graham, a journalist for The Atlantic who also wrote a book on the project.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
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The results are similar, with each former employee’s clique now bullying Robert in protest.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mistreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreating. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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