MALTREAT Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

maltreat

verb

ˌmal-ˈtrēt

Definition of maltreat

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maltreat Dependency courts most often involve children who have been removed from parents because they were neglected, abandoned or maltreated. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2026 There are bosses in companies that maltreat their workers globally. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026 Many maltreating parents struggle with chronic conditions that start well before their first child and will impede their capacity to provide safe and appropriate care indefinitely. — Sarah A. Font, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026 Canadian researchers found that older adults who were maltreated as children may face a significantly higher risk of cancer decades later. — Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Apr. 2026 The Adams County Health and Human Services Department’s initial assessment indicated that the infant was maltreated, though a final autopsy report is still pending, TMZ reported. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026 Social media can’t replace offline resources for children who are being maltreated. — Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreat

Verb

After teenage boys first reported that they had been abused in 2005, Church of the Resurrection conducted an internal investigation that court records show was inconclusive.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Acton’s campaign on Tuesday posted a video of her brother, who supported her backstory about living in a tent and being abused.

— Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

Egypt's president sought to reassure the public that the country wouldn't attack Yemen, and that the military support is limited to defending Saudi territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Back in 2023, Stevens revealed he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome—a rare auto-immune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves—and was working to relearn how to walk and use his hands.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Dustin Degenhardt, a voter in the town of Wainwright, said that Albertans have long been mistreated by Canada’s federal government.

— Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Dustin Degenhardt, a voter in the town of Wainwright, said that Albertans have long been mistreated by Canada's federal government.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of mistreat

Verb

He got stuffed by double-team blocks and turned away by larger Toronto wings, who manhandled the slighter forward in his attempts to create downhill momentum.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
The Dallas Cowboys were manhandled by the Green Bay Packers 23-13 on Sunday night to drop to 2-4 this season.

— Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of manhandle

Verb

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele is demanding the release of four Salvadoran military personnel ambushed by an armed gang in Haiti, warning that the gangs would face his wrath if the men are not returned alive and unharmed.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
The man accused of ambushing two Philadelphia police officers, killing one and wounding another, now faces federal charges.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of ambush

Verb

Also according to the emergency service, consecutive Russian strikes on a shopping center in Kharkiv injured four people late on Saturday, including three rescue workers.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Patrick, who was injured when his cleats became tangled in TV cords, had to first seek redress through a grievance procedure before being able to pursue a lawsuit.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of injure

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“Maltreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreat. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of maltreat

verb

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