maltreat
verb
mal·treat
ˌmal-ˈtrēt 
maltreated; maltreating; maltreats
: to treat cruelly or roughly : abuse
Synonyms
Examples of maltreat in a Sentence
a manager fired for maltreating the staff with needless insults
if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately
Recent Examples on the Web
Lie number 2: Israel has been oppressing and maltreating Palestinians (and denying them a state) for 75 years.
—
Efrem Sigel, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2024
In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that 1 billion children were maltreated each year around the globe.
—Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The revelations come after years of intense scrutiny of Texas’ child welfare system, which included reports by blue-ribbon panels, a state district judge in Travis County and a state comptroller citing weak protection of youngsters maltreated by birth families and then roughly handled by the state.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 30 June 2023
The family is where you are first misjudged, maltreated, belittled, lied to and beaten—or not.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 6 June 2023
Coincidentally, a landmark incident that led to the death of a Nigerian happened in 2009 in Guangzhou, where Nigerians were recently maltreated.
—Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Quartz Africa, 31 May 2020
Youngsters who live in neighborhoods with more bars or liquor stores are more likely to be maltreated.
—Kunmi Sobowale, Scientific American, 1 July 2017
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.
Efrem Sigel, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2024
In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that 1 billion children were maltreated each year around the globe.
—Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The revelations come after years of intense scrutiny of Texas’ child welfare system, which included reports by blue-ribbon panels, a state district judge in Travis County and a state comptroller citing weak protection of youngsters maltreated by birth families and then roughly handled by the state.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 30 June 2023
The family is where you are first misjudged, maltreated, belittled, lied to and beaten—or not.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 6 June 2023
Coincidentally, a landmark incident that led to the death of a Nigerian happened in 2009 in Guangzhou, where Nigerians were recently maltreated.
—Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Quartz Africa, 31 May 2020
Youngsters who live in neighborhoods with more bars or liquor stores are more likely to be maltreated.
—Kunmi Sobowale, Scientific American, 1 July 2017
Dictionary Entries Near maltreat
Cite this Entry
“Maltreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maltreat. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share