1
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
a manager fired for maltreating the staff with needless insults a home for children who have been deprived and maltreated
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to abuse physically
if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of maltreat
One to One concert the duo organized as a response to Geraldo Rivera’s truly shocking exposé of the Willowbrook institution, where children with disabilities were horrifically maltreated and abused.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
Even the first stage of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine - on the pretext of protecting Russian speakers being maltreated - parallels Hitler’s sending shock troops into Czechoslovakia to purportedly safeguard German speakers along the Czech borderlands.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Lie number 2: Israel has been oppressing and maltreating Palestinians (and denying them a state) for 75 years.
—Efrem Sigel, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2024
In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that 1 billion children were maltreated each year around the globe.
—Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The revelations come after years of intense scrutiny of Texas’ child welfare system, which included reports by blue-ribbon panels, a state district judge in Travis County and a state comptroller citing weak protection of youngsters maltreated by birth families and then roughly handled by the state.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 30 June 2023
The family is where you are first misjudged, maltreated, belittled, lied to and beaten—or not.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 6 June 2023
Coincidentally, a landmark incident that led to the death of a Nigerian happened in 2009 in Guangzhou, where Nigerians were recently maltreated.
—Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Quartz Africa, 31 May 2020
Youngsters who live in neighborhoods with more bars or liquor stores are more likely to be maltreated.
—Kunmi Sobowale, Scientific American, 1 July 2017
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
Even the first stage of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine - on the pretext of protecting Russian speakers being maltreated - parallels Hitler’s sending shock troops into Czechoslovakia to purportedly safeguard German speakers along the Czech borderlands.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Lie number 2: Israel has been oppressing and maltreating Palestinians (and denying them a state) for 75 years.
—Efrem Sigel, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2024
In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that 1 billion children were maltreated each year around the globe.
—Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The revelations come after years of intense scrutiny of Texas’ child welfare system, which included reports by blue-ribbon panels, a state district judge in Travis County and a state comptroller citing weak protection of youngsters maltreated by birth families and then roughly handled by the state.
—Allie Morris, Dallas News, 30 June 2023
The family is where you are first misjudged, maltreated, belittled, lied to and beaten—or not.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 6 June 2023
Coincidentally, a landmark incident that led to the death of a Nigerian happened in 2009 in Guangzhou, where Nigerians were recently maltreated.
—Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Quartz Africa, 31 May 2020
Youngsters who live in neighborhoods with more bars or liquor stores are more likely to be maltreated.
—Kunmi Sobowale, Scientific American, 1 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreat
Verb
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The bill was named after Trey Carlock, a Dallas native who died by suicide in 2019 at the age of 28 after being abused by a Missouri summer camp director.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2025
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Two tribal nations filed a lawsuit saying that the federal government used the trust fund money of tribes to pay for boarding schools where generations of Native children were systematically abused.—
Graham Lee Brewer,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
Verb
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For example, if China can pin down the United States in the Taiwan Strait, Russia and Iran may seize the moment to attack their neighbors.—
Mark Melton,
National Review,
23 May 2025
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According to authorities, Ward told them the fight and stabbing were self-defense, claiming the mother attacked and punched her several times in the face.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The allegation that Afrikaners were being mistreated was at the center of an executive order Trump issued days later that cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
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Two shows on Netflix last year helped inject momentum into a slow-moving legal process, and new interest in the brothers’ fate was fueled by campaigns on TikTok and other social media by younger people who felt the brothers were mistreated in the 1990s.—
Tim Arango,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Verb
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As a team, the Celtics shot 4-for-20 from deep and were manhandled on the boards, with New York owning a 32-18 rebounding edge at halftime.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
17 May 2025
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Winning on the margins must replace manhandling inferior opponents, perhaps why base runners who rarely showed any aggression are now hunting an extra 90 feet with every ball put in play.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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His rustiness was evident, as he was bullied off the ball often and punished for an uncharacteristically poor first touch at the Emirates Stadium.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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But he’s bullied at that school, and even at home, things rarely go his way.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Behind him, a 3-month-old calf that had been mauled by wolves the night before lay in the grass with deep wounds on its flanks.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
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Kansas adopted stricter laws on exotic animal ownership following the 2005 death of 17-year-old Hailey Hilderbrand, who was mauled by a 700-pound Siberian tiger while posing for a photo at the Lost Creek Sanctuary in Labette County, Kansas.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
Verb
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At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in the attacks.—
Jackie Northam,
NPR,
26 May 2025
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The woman also was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to a hospital by ambulance.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 May 2025
Verb
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The snake uses large eyes in daylight and heat-sensing divots along its lips in darkness to detect and ambush unlucky birds, bats and rodents that come too close, stopping their hearts with a muscular embrace.—
Alex Fox,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
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He was shot and stabbed on several occasions and killed a thieving female motel owner who ambushed him.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maltreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreat. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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