as in insulting
marked by harsh insulting language
never one to believe that honorable people can disagree honorably, he invariably launches abusive attacks against anyone who dares to challenge him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abusive
The abusive relationship between Lord Seadown and Jinny St. George comes to a head in the sixth episode of season 2.
—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 23 July 2025
Detainees described extreme overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and abusive treatment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and private contractors.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 21 July 2025
Huda—open, messy, sensitive, insecure, verbally abusive, and a little bit toxic, sure, but still one of the girls and therefore, by necessity, your friend—miraculously makes it to the final episode.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
The judiciary's duty is to safeguard the people against such abusive government conduct and Executive overreach.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 23 July 2025
Detainees described extreme overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and abusive treatment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and private contractors.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 21 July 2025
Huda—open, messy, sensitive, insecure, verbally abusive, and a little bit toxic, sure, but still one of the girls and therefore, by necessity, your friend—miraculously makes it to the final episode.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
The judiciary's duty is to safeguard the people against such abusive government conduct and Executive overreach.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
-
And then, especially in the past several years, friends who stayed say: Honestly, this is kind of insulting—the way people keep talking about Lebanon from afar.—
Sahar Delijani
July 17,
Literary Hub,
17 July 2025
-
The deliberate and insulting call-out immediately sent the wrestling world into a frenzy.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
For all his outrageous behavior and near-fatal travails, much of Osbourne’s appeal stemmed from his everyman persona as a working-class-hero-turned-multimillionaire who couldn’t believe his good luck.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 July 2025
-
The world is still a familiar one: Patricia Field’s styling ghost haunts every outrageous outfit choice and Carrie’s heels still clack satisfyingly on the sidewalk.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
The law requires pornographic websites to verify users’ ages – for example by making users scan and upload their driver’s license – before granting access to content that is deemed obscene for minors but not adults.—
Meg Leta Jones,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
-
Lawsuit alleges 'obscene' government overreach Longo's lawsuit, filed in Chemung County, New York, names the county, the city of Elmira and several DEC officers as defendants.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Only five times has an offensive lineman cracked the top 20, comfortably the fewest of any position except fullbacks and specialists.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
-
On Wednesday morning, following FIU’s first practice of the fall, Jenkins was asked about the Panthers’ new offensive coordinator, Nick Coleman.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
Attacks are now surging across the U.S., targeting citizens with malicious texts, emails and popups.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
-
Because the malicious screen is transparent, there are no visual cues to suggest anything suspicious is happening.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
Transcripts of the depositions conducted by utility lawyers were made public Friday in Superior Court and hundreds of pages of questions and answers suggest questions about who contributed what to the vituperative oped may never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
25 July 2025
-
On Wednesday, the President faced a barrage of ominous developments that might have fazed another leader—a worrisome jobs report, losses in federal court related to four of his signature policies, an increasingly vituperative public breakup with Elon Musk.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
-
The good people of Lancaster County were innocent of the charges thrown at them by raving Southerners and scurrilous Democrats.—
Matthew Karp,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The explosion of sports betting might not be the reason for the increase in personal invective being spewed at games.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
-
Between the time the former Marine Soto was indicted in 2018 and sentenced in 2020, then-President Donald Trump offered up vitriolic invective to Mexican officials.—
Sean Campbell,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share