abuse

Fetched 2026-10-27 (live).

Synonyms: abase, amuse, abune, abusee, buse, mabuse, abus, abse, ause

Antonyms: abase, amuse, abune, abusee, buse, mabuse, abus, abse, ause

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
   • human rights abuses
   • All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad.
2. Misuse; improper use; perversion.
3. A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.
4. Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
   • children hurling abuse at each other
5. Catachresis.
6. Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
7. Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.

Verb

1. To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
   • He abused his authority.
2. To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
3. To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
4. To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.
5. To violate; defile; to rape; to masturbate.
6. Misrepresent; adulterate.
7. To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.
8. Disuse.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wiktionary) · cached copy, not a rewrite.