abuse

/əˈbjuːs/
noun
  1. Cruel, violent, or unfair treatment of someone.
    • The organization works to protect children from abuse.
    • She spoke out against the abuse of prisoners in the facility.
    • He suffered years of emotional abuse from his partner.
  2. The use of something in a harmful, wrong, or excessive way.
    • Drug abuse can lead to serious health problems.
    • Alcohol abuse is a major concern in many communities.
    • The abuse of power by officials must be stopped.
  3. Rude or insulting words directed at someone.
    • She walked away rather than listen to his verbal abuse.
    • The player faced a lot of abuse from the crowd after missing the goal.
    • Online abuse has become a serious problem on social media.
Antonyms
verb
  1. To treat someone cruelly or violently.
    • The guard was fired for abusing the inmates.
    • No one should ever abuse their spouse or partner.
    • It is illegal to abuse a child or any vulnerable person.
  2. To use something in a harmful, wrong, or excessive way.
    • Many people abuse prescription drugs by taking them without a prescription.
    • He abused his position as manager to get special favors.
    • She abused the trust I had in her by lying to me.
  3. To speak to someone in a rude or insulting way.
    • The coach was warned not to abuse the players during practice.
    • They abused each other with harsh words during the argument.
    • It is never okay to abuse someone just because you are angry.
What does "abuse" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean