as in maltreated
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1
as in bullied
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a demanding, difficult patient who constantly abuses the nurses and aides
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3
as in misused
to put to a bad or improper use
if you abuse your baseball bat by using it to hammer nails, don't expect it to last long
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4
as in exploited
to take unfair advantage of
abused his parents' trust, pilfering small amounts from them that he hoped they wouldn't notice
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Recent Examples of abused
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024
Is there a more abused word in our language, in this barely literate age?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 6 Sep. 2024
J.d. Davidson | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 23 Dec. 2024
The scientists believe their work could lead to stronger controls over AI programs and can pinpoint which ones are likely to be abused.
—Paul Ratner, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abused 
Adjective
Director Karen Chapman tackles the horror of domestic violence in Village Keeper, but not from the perspective of an abused wife having to fight off or flee an insecure or jealous husband’s violent explosions.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024
Is there a more abused word in our language, in this barely literate age?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 6 Sep. 2024
Verb
That investigation found Strauss abused at least 177 male athletes, according to the university.
—J.d. Davidson | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 23 Dec. 2024
The scientists believe their work could lead to stronger controls over AI programs and can pinpoint which ones are likely to be abused.
—Paul Ratner, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for abused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abused
Verb
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Unfortunately for them, Steph won’t be bullied – even by paternalistic threats of being sued into oblivion.Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
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Watch on Deadline His claims echoed the findings of a Deadline investigation in November 2023, which revealed allegations that Spencer bullied staff and students.Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Caretakers at All Things Wild Rehabilitation believe that Polly, a 1-year-old Pekin duck who's missing part of her bill, was dumped at a pond by her former owner and attacked by a snapping turtle.Natalie Escobar, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024
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Two months after the end of the Korean War, the United States signed a bilateral mutual security treaty with South Korea in which Washington committed to come to Seoul’s aid if it were attacked.Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Default passwords are often easily accessible and can be exploited in seconds by knowledgeable attackers.Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 24 Dec. 2024
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But a reality show based on a show about a group of poor people being exploited for entertainment and violence didn’t come without its own controversy.Matt Minton, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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New York City, like Ohio and Philadelphia, is another place that was slammed early by fentanyl.Maurice Tamman, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2024
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However, Bannon has routinely slammed Musk in the past.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Social media is frequently used by criminal hacking groups and scammers to plan their malware and phishing attacks.Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
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Unless Moscow legally consents that the funds be used for that purpose, key European states will continue to object to spending them for fear of setting a dangerous precedent.Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The claims in Lively's suit left fans question if they'd been manipulated in the past.David Oliver, USA TODAY, 23 Dec. 2024
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On the same day the camera card was accessed without a write-blocker, which meant it could have been manipulated, the experts said.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Several officers injured in weekend move-over crashes.Mike Schell, The Enquirer, 24 Dec. 2024
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The plan was implemented after several high-profile incidents occurred on the city's subway system, including a deadly shooting that broke out on an elevated train platform and a train conductor who was injured in a slashing attack.John Bacon, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The plaintiffs seek a declaratory judgment that the commission, by approving the plans, has violated their fundamental rights.Amy Green, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
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Months later, the Department of Justice concluded that five Texas juvenile detention centers violated children's constitutional and civil rights.Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near abused
Cite this Entry
“Abused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abused. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
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