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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abusive
Carter went right into Rip mode, beating up this abusive dude.
—
William Earl, Variety, 15 May 2026
Despite Nikki's increasingly erratic and terrifying behavior, their friends' concerns, and his own realization that her affection is totally artificial, Bear doesn't seem to care that his dream relationship is not only fake, but highly abusive.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
Is God Is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut (an adaptation of her play), Is God Is tells the story of two sisters out for revenge against their horribly abusive father.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Porter was also abusive towards the mayor of Irvine after a police officer arrested Porter’s boyfriend for allegedly assaulting some guy.
—Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for abusive
William Earl, Variety, 15 May 2026
Despite Nikki's increasingly erratic and terrifying behavior, their friends' concerns, and his own realization that her affection is totally artificial, Bear doesn't seem to care that his dream relationship is not only fake, but highly abusive.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
Is God Is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut (an adaptation of her play), Is God Is tells the story of two sisters out for revenge against their horribly abusive father.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Porter was also abusive towards the mayor of Irvine after a police officer arrested Porter’s boyfriend for allegedly assaulting some guy.
—Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
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Instead, this just looks like virtue signaling to justify his controversial move to Baton Rouge, which is insulting to people actually affected by what the University of Mississippi represents.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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The 39-year-old man from Stowmarket, Suffolk, was charged with two counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior to harass, cause alarm or distress and failing to provide a blood specimen in custody.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Or were their outrageous takes simply a ploy to boost ratings?—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
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Back then, both Riley and Glick felt marginalized, under siege in a country where merely criticizing income inequality was viewed as outrageous.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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If this obscene gerrymander survives, the next one will purge what little remains of Democratic representation in the Legislature, where the GOP holds massive supermajorities far beyond its share of the electorate.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
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He was also given a third charge involving obscene material and minors, according to jail records.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The Irish comedy writer has become better known for his assertion that trans women are men and criticism of trans activism, expressed in often vituperative social media posts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
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David smells an opportunity but completely misreads Hale, a vicious and vituperative man who delights in tormenting lesser writers.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Celeste team argues that large, heavy drones pose a serious cybersecurity risk, as they could be hijacked and used for harm by malicious hackers.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
-
That’s not necessarily malicious.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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But Detroit’s damning offensive flaws, which its defense compensated for during the regular season, were exposed by the Cavs.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Offensively, Jackson looked good at quarterback, especially creating big plays out of nothing when his offensive line broke down.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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Tom Hanks played McCoy, Melanie Griffith played his mistress, and Bruce Willis played a scurrilous journalist in the center of it all.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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And in return for all that scurrilous effort, not a single banning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Online, the responses turned vitriolic.—
Robin Romm,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
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To attend an Old Firm fixture, as the rivalry is known, is to understand the frenetic, vitriolic, passionate and sometimes poisonous world of football in Glasgow.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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