abuse
noun (CRUEL BEHAVIOUR) /əˈbjuːs/Definition
B2 cruel, violent, or unfair treatment of someone: She claimed to have been a victim of child abuse . sexual/physical/mental abuse (= bad treatment)Treating people or animals badlyInsults and abuseUnkind, cruel and unfeelingViolent or aggressive
(Definition of abuse noun (CRUEL BEHAVIOUR) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- a raw deal idiom
- at the hands of sb idiom
- batten on sb phrasal verb
- be heavy on sb idiom
- be put upon phrasal verb
- grind the faces of the poor idiom
- harassment noun
- have your knife into sb idiom
- hell noun
- hit sb where it hurts idiom
- objectification noun
- persecute verb
- persecution noun
- persecutor noun
- pick on sb phrasal verb
- toy with sb/sth phrasal verb
- trample verb (TREAT WITHOUT RESPECT)
- treat sb like dirt idiom
- trespass on/upon sth phrasal verb
- tyrannical adjective
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throw caution to the wind/winds
to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results
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