abusively

Definition of abusivelynext

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 abusively When Rabbit asks to be the one to adopt Stacey after her graduation, Evelyn abusively rejects the notion and Rabbit is crushed. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusively
Adverb
  • One kind of viciously efficient profit motive was seeking the destruction of a somewhat different business mode.
    Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
  • For many, qualifying will represent the fruition of a lifelong, viciously competitive goal.
    NBC news, NBC news, 20 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • In a scene straight from a horror movie, Carillo’s stomach was savagely cut open, blood everywhere.
    Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Relatives said the timing of the broad-daylight attack made Ennin’s death that much more difficult to deal with, knowing that his reward for long-overdue time off was being savagely knifed to death on his first day back at work.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • As a small rural settlement is swiftly and ruthlessly stripped bare by the twin plagues of a diphtheria epidemic and spreading wildfires, the film eventually descends into a near-literal hellscape, though even when pandemonium takes over on screen, Van Dusen’s formal control never wavers.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
  • This is a book that treats its characters and incidents seriously and—at its best—ruthlessly.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
  • The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.
    Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • Mexican authorities and fellow journalists say López Serrano likely ordered the hit because the journalist had mocked the young narco mercilessly in Ríodoce, the weekly co-founded by Valdez.
    Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
  • During the War of 1812, the British mercilessly bombarded Fort Henry.
    Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • In this volatile environment, comments that appear to minimize or frame the shooting insensitively—like Matt Gutman's—can quickly become career-ending.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Sahroni has faced accusations of responding insensitively to people calling for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers’ allowances.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.
    Eric Harvey, Pitchfork, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.
    Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • Now my son is dead after suffering unmercifully.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abusively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusively. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on abusively

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!