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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abusive
An Owasso police spokesperson tells PEOPLE that there were no reports of Eric being abusive in the past.
—
Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 30 July 2025
The blowback against Wolfe–Simon's team was fierce and, at times, unsightly, with some abusive comments being leveled directly at Wolfe–Simon, who was still a young researcher.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 July 2025
Many of the most abusive and inhumane facilities for the disabled are now closed.
—Jessica Slice, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025
The women's arrests uncovered a pattern of abusive teaching by Hildebrandt, and confirmed growing suspicions of critics who long questioned Franke’s strict parenting style on her popular 8 Passengers family vlogging page on YouTube.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 30 July 2025
The blowback against Wolfe–Simon's team was fierce and, at times, unsightly, with some abusive comments being leveled directly at Wolfe–Simon, who was still a young researcher.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 July 2025
Many of the most abusive and inhumane facilities for the disabled are now closed.
—Jessica Slice, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025
The women's arrests uncovered a pattern of abusive teaching by Hildebrandt, and confirmed growing suspicions of critics who long questioned Franke’s strict parenting style on her popular 8 Passengers family vlogging page on YouTube.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
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The result was viciously insulting, not the sort of thing anyone would want to read about themselves.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
18 July 2025
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To not even reach 10 percent is insulting to all involved and indicates how much needs to change, which is exactly what a group of industry power players are attempting to do in Nashville.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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This game lets fans of telenovelas take on the outrageous characters and melodramatic plot twists to tell memorable stories.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Adam Devine brought outrageous comedy to the role of Bumper and has been a regular face in film and TV since.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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To authenticate Trump's note and the obscene drawing that accompanied it, Journal reporters claim to have seen the album and talked to people knowledgeable about it.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
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Guests will enjoy the experience free from disruptive behavior, foul language, obscene gestures, fighting, unruly conduct or inconsiderate actions.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Stanton then smoked a two-run single at 110.8 mph, completing his latest offensive outburst.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
13 Aug. 2025
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He was named to the 2018 All-Mountain West team and was the offensive MVP of the 2018 Mountain West championship game, rushing for 200 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos fell 19-16 to Fresno State in overtime.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Accessing the code prompts recipients to provide personal and financial information, or can lead to downloading malicious software.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Victims are then defrauded again, with more money lost to these malicious recovery schemes.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Even the company’s most vituperative detractors acknowledge its engineering genius and applaud its success in driving down launch expenses (unlike many defense contractors, SpaceX largely eats the cost of its failures).—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
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Transcripts of the depositions conducted by utility lawyers were made public Friday in Superior Court and hundreds of pages of questions and answers suggest questions about who contributed what to the vituperative oped may never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
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The good people of Lancaster County were innocent of the charges thrown at them by raving Southerners and scurrilous Democrats.—
Matthew Karp,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The researchers forced Gemini to delete messages, spew invective at the user, steal email messages, and even use Google Home to open windows.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
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The explosion of sports betting might not be the reason for the increase in personal invective being spewed at games.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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