maltreat
verb [T] /ˌmælˈtriːt/ formalDefinition
› to treat someone cruelly or violently: He had been badly maltreated as a child.Treating people or animals badlyInsults and abuseUnkind, cruel and unfeelingViolent or aggressive maltreatment /-mənt/ noun [U] › They complained about the physical and psychological maltreatment of prisoners.Treating people or animals badlyInsults and abuseUnkind, cruel and unfeelingViolent or aggressive
(Definition of maltreat verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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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
- persecute verb
- persecution noun
- persecutor noun
- pick on sb phrasal verb
- prey on sb phrasal verb
- trample verb (TREAT WITHOUT RESPECT)
- treat sb like dirt idiom
- trespass on/upon sth phrasal verb
- tyrannical adjective
- tyrannize verb
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