Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of abuse

120 similar words

Another word for abuse is hurt. Other synonyms of abuse are damage, harm, ill-treat, wound and injure.

Synonyms and similar words for abuse

nounImproper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful...

nounCoarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.

nounCatachresis.

verbTo injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.

  • maltreatTo treat badly, to abuse.
  • injureTo wound or cause physical harm to a living creature.
  • bewoundTo wound all over; cover or afflict with wounds.
  • damageTo impair the soundness, goodness, or value of; to harm or cause destruction.
  • do damage to
  • do for UKTo doom; to bring about the demise of someone; to injure or harm someone.
  • do illTo harm, to injure.
  • do violence toTo gravely harm.
  • harmTo damage, hurt, or injure something, usually an inanimate object.
  • harrowTo break or tear, as if with a harrow; to wound; to lacerate.
  • hurtTo cause (a person or animal) physical pain and/or injury.
  • maulTo handle someone or something in a rough way.
  • put someone in hospital UKTo injure (someone) to the point that they need serious medical attention.
  • scaith ScotlandTo injure; to wound.
  • scatheTo harm or injure (someone or something) physically.
  • wet slangTo kill or seriously injure.
  • woundTo hurt or injure (someone) by cutting, piercing, or tearing the skin.
  • afflict
  • aggrieve
  • do evil
  • do harm
  • ill-treatTo treat someone or something badly or unkindly; to abuse or mistreat.
  • ill-useTo treat someone badly, cruelly or unkindly.
  • make mischief
  • mistreatTo treat someone, or something roughly or badly.
  • molest
  • oppressTo sexually violate; to rape.
  • outrageTo sexually violate; to rape.
  • overburdenTo overload or overtax.
  • pain
  • persecute
  • run down
  • trample on
  • tread on
  • weigh down
  • weigh heavy on
  • annoy archaicTo molest; to harm; to injure.
  • damnify obsoleteTo damage physically; to injure.
  • dere UK, archaicTo hurt; harm; injure; wound.
  • forwork archaicTo do wrong to; injure; scathe.
  • grieve archaicTo harm.
  • mayhem archaicTo violently inflict injury on (someone); to injure, to wound.
  • misdo archaicTo do evil; to commit misdeeds.
  • vulnerate archaicTo wound, cause to become vulnerable.

verbTo attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or...

  • misuseTo rape (a woman); later more generally, to sexually abuse (someone).
  • vitriolTo subject to bitter verbal abuse.
  • vituperateTo attack (someone or something) with abusive language; to revile, to vilify.
  • affront
  • burn slang
  • carry slang
  • cut down
  • disrespectTo show a lack of respect to someone or something.
  • dis informal
  • diss informalTo put (someone) down, or show disrespect by the use of insulting language or dismissive behaviour.
  • give stickTo abuse, insult, or denigrate.
  • heckle
  • hurt someone's feelingsTo offend or emotionally hurt someone.
  • lapidate
  • qualifier
  • misrespectTo show improper respect to or for; disrespect.
  • offend
  • send UK, slang
  • scandalize
  • slag UK, slangTo talk badly about; to malign or denigrate (someone).
  • slag off slangTo talk insultingly to or about someone or something; usually one who is not present.
  • sledge AustraliaTo verbally insult or abuse an opponent in order to distract them (considered unsportsmanlike).
  • slight
  • slurTo insult or slight.
  • sneap dialectal
  • spiteTo fill with spite; to offend; to vex.
  • call namesTo use abusive or insulting language; to engage in name-calling.
  • flameTo post a destructively critical or abusive message (to somebody).
  • name-callSynonym of call names (“to use (offensive or derogatory names, labels, or insults) against (someone), typically to...
  • revileTo attack (someone) with abusive language.
  • misbid obsolete
  • scandal obsoleteTo scandalize; to offend.

verbTo violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.

Meaning of abuse

  1. noun Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
  2. noun Misuse; improper use; perversion.
  3. noun A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.

Full definition of abuse

abuse in other languages

Questions about synonyms of abuse

What is another word for abuse?
Abuse has 120 synonyms on Word.ws, such as hurt, damage, harm, ill-treat, wound, injure, maul and mistreat.
What does abuse mean?
Abuse means improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: abuse (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of abuse.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/abuse. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.