Synonyms for abuse
əˈbyuz; əˈbyusabuse

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. abuse

   Abuse covers all unreasonable or improper use or treatment by word or act. A tenant does not abuse rented property by "reasonable wear," though that may damage the property and injure its sale; he may abuse it by needless defacement or neglect. It is possible to abuse a man without harming him, as when the criminal vituperates the judge; or to harm a man without abusing him, as when the witness tells the truth about the criminal. Defame, malign, rail at, revile, slander, vilify, and vituperate are used always in a bad sense. One may be justly reproached. To impose on or to victimize one is to injure him by abusing his confidence. To persecute one is to ill-treat him for opinion's sake, commonly for religious belief; to oppress is generally for political or pecuniary motives. "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy," Deut. xxiv, 14. Misemploy, misuse, and pervert are commonly applied to objects rather than to persons. A dissolute youth misemploys his time, misuses his money and opportunities, harms his associates, perverts his talents, wrongs his parents, ruins himself, abuses every good gift of God.

   Synonyms:
   aggrieve, damage, defame, defile, disparage, harm, ill-treat, ill-use, impose on, impose upon, injure, malign, maltreat, misemploy, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pervert, prostitute, rail at, ravish, reproach, revile, ruin, slander, victimize, vilify, violate, vituperate, wrong

   Antonyms:
   applaud, benefit, care for, cherish, conserve, consider, eulogize, extol, favor, laud, panegyrize, praise, protect, regard, respect, shield, sustain, tend, uphold, vindicate

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   injure, damage, spoil, maltreat, treat-all, ill-use, ill-treat, retile, scandalize, disparage, reproach, upbraid, asperse, malign, slander, vituperate, prostitute, defame, pervert, misuse, misemploy, vilify

   Antonyms:
   tend, protect, conserve, consider, regard, shield, cherish, praise, extol, laud, vindicate, panegyrize, respect

2. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   mistreatment, invective, ill-treatment, opprobrium, scurrility, vituperation, ribaldry, obloquy, reproach, insolence, misusage, ill-usage

   Antonyms:
   good-usage, good-treatment, kindness, praise, deference, respect

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.4 / 10 votes

1. maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abusenoun

   cruel or inhumane treatment

   "the child showed signs of physical abuse"

   Synonyms:
   ill-treatment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, maltreatment

2. abuse, insult, revilement, contumely, vilificationnoun

   a rude expression intended to offend or hurt

   "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "they yelled insults at the visiting team"

   Synonyms:
   smear, ill-treatment, malignment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, affront, maltreatment

3. misuse, abuseverb

   improper or excessive use

   "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds"

   Synonyms:
   ill-treatment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, maltreatment

4. mistreat, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, step, ill-treatverb

   treat badly

   "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead"

   Synonyms:
   pervert, maltreat, blackguard, step, tread, pace, clapperclaw, misuse, shout, mistreat, ill-use, ill-treat

5. pervert, misuse, abuseverb

   change the inherent purpose or function of something

   "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"

   Synonyms:
   sophisticate, pervert, shout, vitiate, deprave, debauch, twist, ill-use, blackguard, twist around, subvert, misapply, profane, step, corrupt, debase, misdirect, demoralise, convolute, maltreat, misuse, demoralize, clapperclaw, ill-treat, mistreat

6. abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shoutverb

   use foul or abusive language towards

   "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother shouted at the teacher"

   Synonyms:
   hollo, guy, cry out, pervert, shout, clapperclaw, ill-use, blackguard, roast, make fun, shout out, call out, rib, step, mistreat, holler, yell, call, poke fun, jest at, maltreat, misuse, cry, squall, ridicule, outcry, exclaim, ill-treat, scream, laugh at

7. abuseverb

   use wrongly or improperly or excessively

   "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"

   Synonyms:
   pervert, maltreat, blackguard, clapperclaw, mistreat, misuse, shout, step, ill-use, ill-treat

Matched Categories

1. • Disrespect
   • Mistreatment
   • Treat
   • Use

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. harm to the innocent and vulnerable

   any direct or indirect abuse to children, adults, animals, elderly or the planet

   nursing home abuse. child sex trafficking, rape, ptsd. gaslighting, narcissists, blocking, slut shaming, etc

   Submitted by Debranardifl on May 25, 2021  

2. oppobrium

   public disgrace arising from shameful conduct

   the opprbrium of being closely associated with gangsters.

   Submitted by rinat on November 1, 2015  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   misuse, misemploy, misapply, pervert, prostitute, desecrate, profane, make an ill use of

2. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   maltreat, harm, injure, hurt, ill-treat, ill-use

3. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   revile, reproach, vilify, slander, traduce, defame, asperse, malign, blacken, disparage, berate, rate, upbraid, calumniate, lampoon, satirize, lash, PASQUINADE, VITUPERATE, rail at, sneer at, speak ill of, accuse falsely, damn with faint praise

4. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   violate, outrage, ravish, deflour

5. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   misapplication, misuse, misemployment, profanation, prostitution, desecration, perversion, ill-use

6. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   maltreatment, outrage, ill-treatment, bad treatment

7. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   corrupt practice

8. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   vituperation, railing, reviling, contumely, obloquy, opprobrium, insult, scurrility, ribaldry, JAW, foul invective, rude reproach

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   misuse, misapplication, perversion, profanation, desecration, injury, maltreatment, mistreatment, outrage, offense, invective, contumely, reproach, scurrility, opprobrium, tirade, billingsgate, vilification, violation, rape

2. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   misapply, misuse, pervert, desecrate, violate, profane, maltreat, mistreat, revile, reproach, vilify, vituperate, malign, traduce, violate, ravish, rape

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:2.0 / 4 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "abuse":

   misuse, ill-treatment, abuses, maltreatment, mistreatment, violence, abused, addiction, exploitation, assault, abusive, aggression, consumption, violation, malpractice, breach, brutality, abusers, violations, misused

How to pronounce abuse?

How to say abuse in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use abuse in a sentence?

1. Mitchell Garabedian:

   Historically, this is the first time ever in the United States that a Cardinal has been criminally charged with a sexual crime against a minor, it takes an enormous amount of courage for a sexual abuse victim to report having been sexually abused to investigators and proceed through the criminal process.

2. Camille Vasquez:

   On May 27, 2016 Ms. Heard walked into a courthouse in Los Angeles, California, to get a no notice, ex-parte restraining order against Mr. Johnny Depp and in doing so, ruined Johnny Depp life by falsely telling the world that she was a survivor of domestic abuse at the hands of Mr. Johnny Depp, today, May 27, 2022 exactly six years later, we ask you to give Johnny Depp Johnny Depp life back by telling the world that Johnny Depp is not Johnny Depp Ms. Heard said Johnny Depp is and hold Ms. Heard accountable for her lies.

3. Emiliano Arias:

   The crimes he is accused of are of repeated sexual abuse and one case of a consenting relationship with an older minor, there are more than five victims. I hope this investigation will allow me to find more victims because they deserve proper treatment.

4. Avi Golan:

   I am a bold advocate for regulation of facial recognition. There’s a potential for abuse of this technology both in terms of bias and privacy.

5. Wiltshire Police:

   Edward Heath does feature as part of Operation Whistle, currently investigating historical allegations of abuse in Jersey.