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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of mistreating
Those scars created a man who was a distant father and equally remote with his band members at the peak, mistreating them with casual disdain until everything fell apart.
—
Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 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
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.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 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
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.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreating
Verb
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According to Variety and Puck, the film was originally set to dramatize Jackson being accused of abusing 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler in 1993.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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The lawsuit, filed in December, claims that the Litchfield Middle School failed to act on a complaint from the 1980s that Driscoll was allegedly abusing students before Fitterer and Bird were middle school students in the 1990s.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
14 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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Last November, ahead of the final season of Stranger Things airing, the Daily Mail reported that Brown had filed a harassment and bullying claim against Harbour before filming began.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
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Last year, the Daily Mail reported Brown allegedly filed harassment and bullying claims against Harbour with producers of the show prior to shooting the final season.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreating. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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