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abuse - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | wrong use |
| Synonyms: | corruption, crime, debasement, delinquency, desecration, exploitation, fault, injustice, misconduct, misdeed, mismanage, misuse, offense, perversion, prostitution, sin, wrong, wrongdoing, misapplication, mishandling |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically hurt or injure |
| Synonyms: | beat up, corrupt, cut up*, damage, defile, deprave, desecrate, harm, hose*, impair, maltreat, mar, mess up*, mishandle, mistreat, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pollute*, rough up, roughhouse, ruin, shake up*, spoil, taint, total*, victimize, violate, wax*, bang up, bung up, ill-treat |
| Antonyms: | cherish, defend, help, preserve, protect, respect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | physical hurting, injuring |
| Synonyms: | crime, damage, defilement, harm, hurt, injury, malevolence, maltreatment, misdeed, offense, pollution, violation, wrongdoing, impairment, manhandling |
| Antonyms: | aid, help, preservation, respect |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | use wrongly |
| Synonyms: | dissipate, exhaust, mishandle, misuse, overburden, overwork, prostitute, spoil, squander, taint, waste, misemploy, overtax |
| Antonyms: | benefit, esteem, prize, respect, revere, care for |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal attack |
| Synonyms: | blame, censure, curse, defamation, derision, invective, libel, obloquy, opprobrium, put-down, reproach, scolding, slander, swearing, tirade, vituperation, bad-mouthing, castigation, curses, hosing, insults, kicking around, knifing, pushing around, quinine, revilement, signifying, upbraiding, vilification |
| Antonyms: | acclamation, adulation, approval, commendation, plaudit, praise |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack with words |
| Synonyms: | backbite, bad-mouth, bash, belittle, berate, calumniate, cap*, castigate, cut down*, decry, defame, derogate, discount, insult, knock*, minimize, nag, offend, oppress, persecute, pick on, put down*, reproach, revile, ride*, run down*, scold, signify, slam*, slap*, smear*, sound*, trash*, upbraid, vilify, vituperate, zing*, blow off*, cuss out, cut to the quick, do a number on, dump on, give a black eye, hurl brickbat, rag on, rip up, sling mud, swear at, tear apart |
| Antonyms: | acclaim, adulate, approve, commend, compliment, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | take advantage of |
| Synonyms: | exploit, use, wrong, do an injustice to, impose on |
| Antonyms: | cherish, esteem, honor, respect, revere, treasure |
| Main Entry: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | an insult |
| Synonyms: | abuse, indignity, injury, left-handed compliment*, offense, outrage, provocation, put-down*, slap*, slight, slur, vexation, wrong, backhanded compliment, brickbat, dirty deed, slap in the face |
| Antonyms: | appeasement, compliment, pleasantry |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | insult or involve in entanglement |
| Synonyms: | abuse, anger, annoy, confront, criticize, displease, encounter, face, give the cold shoulder*, meet, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, put down*, slander, slight, taunt, vex, dispraise, dump on, give a zinger, hit where one lives |
| Antonyms: | appease, assuage, compliment, gratify, mollify, placate, please, satisfy, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | aspersion |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal exhibition of bad temper |
| Synonyms: | abuse, animadversion, backbiting, black eye*, calumny, defamation, detraction, hit*, invective, knock*, libel, obloquy, put-down*, rap*, slam*, slander, smear*, vituperation, backhanded compliment, dirty dig |
| Antonyms: | calmness, happiness, kindness, mildness |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | assail |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack, usually with words |
| Synonyms: | abuse, assault, bash, berate, beset, blast, blister, bust, charge, come at, criticize, encounter, impugn, invade, lambaste, lay into*, malign, maltreat, molest, revile, trash*, vilify, have at*, set upon, work over |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | assault |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack |
| Synonyms: | abuse, advance, assail, bash, beset, blast, blitz, bushwhack, charge, come down on*, go for, haul off on, invade, jump, jump down one's throat, jump on one's case, lay into, let have it, light into*, rape, ruin, set upon, shoot down, slam, slap around, storm, strike, trash, violate, work over, zap* |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | backbiting |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hateful talk |
| Synonyms: | abuse, aspersion, calumny, defamation, depreciation, detraction, disparagement, gossip, invective, lie, malice, obloquy, scandal, slander, spite, tale, vituperation, backstabbing, belittlement, calumniation, cattiness, denigration, spitefulness, traducement, vilification |
| Antonyms: | encouragement, praise |
| Main Entry: | blasphemy |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | irreverence |
| Synonyms: | abuse, desecration, execration, heresy, impiety, imprecation, indignity, lewdness, profanity, sacrilege, swearing, vituperation, cursing, cussing, impiousness, profanation, profaneness, reviling, scoffing, scurrility |
| Antonyms: | godliness, piety, religion, reverence, religiousness |
| Main Entry: | censure |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | condemn; criticize severely |
| Synonyms: | abuse, admonish, attack, backbite, berate, blame, castigate, cavil, chastise, chide, contemn, cut up*, denigrate, denounce, deprecate, disapprove, discipline, disparage, impugn, incriminate, judge, knock, lecture, ostracize, rebuff, rebuke, remonstrate, reprehend, reprimand, reproach, reprove, scold, tell off, upbraid, animadvert, asperse, carp at, exprobate, find fault with, get after, look askance, pick apart, pull apart, read out, take to task, tear apart |
| Antonyms: | allow, approve, compliment, endorse, laud, permit, sanction |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | corrupt |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pervert; pollute |
| Synonyms: | abase, abuse, adulterate, bastardize, blemish, blight, bribe, contaminate, damage, debase, debauch, decay, decompose, deface, defile, deform, degrade, demean, demoralize, deprave, depreciate, despoil, disfigure, disgrace, dishonor, fix, harm, hurt, impair, infect, injure, lower, lure, maltreat, mar, mistreat, misuse, outrage, pull down, putrefy, ravage, reduce, rot, ruin, spoil, square, stain, suborn, subvert, taint, undermine, violate, vitiate, warp, waste, animalize, grease palm, ill-treat |
| Antonyms: | better, chasten, cleanse, dignify, improve, purify |
| Main Entry: | damage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cause injury, loss |
| Synonyms: | abuse, batter, bleach, blight, break, burn, contaminate, corrode, corrupt, crack, cripple, deface, defile, dirty, discolor, disfigure, disintegrate, dismantle, fade, gnaw, harm, hurt, impair, incapacitate, infect, injure, lacerate, maim, maltreat, mangle, mar, mutilate, pollute, ravage, rot, ruin, rust, scorch, scratch, smash, split, spoil, stab, stain, tarnish, tear, undermine, vitiate, weaken, wound, wreck, wrong, bang up, scathe, tamper with, wear away, wreak havoc on |
| Antonyms: | benefit, bless, enhance, favor, fix, improve, mend, perfect, repair |
| Main Entry: | damn |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | condemn, denounce |
| Synonyms: | abuse, attack, ban, banish, blaspheme, blast, castigate, censure, confound, convict, criticize, curse, darn, doom, excommunicate, excoriate, execrate, expel, flame, jinx, objurgate, pan*, penalize, proscribe, punish, revile, sentence, slam, swear, anathematize, cast out, complain of, cry down, cuss, denunciate, drat, fulminate against, imprecate, inveigle against, object to, thunder against |
| Antonyms: | bless, cherish, commend, elevate, exalt, favor, glorify, laud, praise, promote |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | debauch |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | deprave, corrupt |
| Synonyms: | abuse, bastardize, betray, debase, defile, deflower, demoralize, fornicate, fraternize, intrigue, inveigle, lure, pervert, pollute, ravish, ruin, seduce, subvert, tempt, violate, vitiate, warp, bestialize, brutalize, go bad, go to hell, lead astray, live in the gutter |
| Antonyms: | clean, cleanse, improve, purify, upgrade |
| Main Entry: | decry |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize, blame |
| Synonyms: | abuse, bad-mouth*, belittle, calumniate, censure, condemn, defame, denounce, depreciate, derogate, detract, devalue, diminish, discount, discredit, disgrace, disparage, downgrade, hit*, knock*, lower, malign, minimize, pan*, put down, rap, reprehend, reprobate, run down, slam*, traduce, underestimate, underrate, undervalue, vilify, write off, asperse, cry down, do a number on, dump on, mark down, opprobriate, poor-mouth, rail against, take away, take swipe at, throw stones at |
| Antonyms: | applaud, compliment, exalt, laud, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
