as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
anyone who ill-treats their pets should not be allowed to have any
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-treat
Verb
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At the time of her death, Sardinha was studying to become a counselor with the hope of working with women who had been abused, her mother told Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael J. Leversen.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
25 July 2025 -
According to prosecutors, Maxwell helped Jeffrey Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse minor girls from about 1994 to about 2004, including girls as young as 14 years old.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Women are often mistreated with aggressive surgical techniques that can be avoided.—
Nkem Osian,
Baltimore Sun,
23 July 2025
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In court, McGuire's parents, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, alleged that Young mistreated their daughter, per ABC.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
18 July 2025
Verb
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One to One concert the duo organized as a response to Geraldo Rivera’s truly shocking exposé of the Willowbrook institution, where children with disabilities were horrifically maltreated and abused.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
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Even the first stage of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine - on the pretext of protecting Russian speakers being maltreated - parallels Hitler’s sending shock troops into Czechoslovakia to purportedly safeguard German speakers along the Czech borderlands.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Researchers have seen that wild horses and burros will hog water tanks, streams, and other water sources — often to the detriment of native critters like deer and antelope, which are easily bullied by a big stallion.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
31 July 2025
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After all, living with a drunk step-mom, being bullied at school, and failing all her classes isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
28 July 2025
Verb
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In the show's first season, Wednesday Addams, played by Ortega, is the protective older sibling who tortures anyone who dares to go after her brother.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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Secret detention centers were established in Buenos Aires and other cities, where thousands of (mostly) young people were tortured and murdered, their bodies disappeared.—
Graciela Mochkofsky,
New Yorker,
31 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ill-treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-treat. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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