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Glite Dictionary
ill-usage

ill-usage

9.9
Cruel treatment of people or animals
  • noun
  • /ˈɪlˌjuːsɪdʒ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : mal uso
  • The report highlighted cases of ill-usage in the orphanage.

Examples

  • The animal was rescued after enduring years of ill-usage at the hands of its owner.

  • She never forgot the ill-usage she suffered as a child in the orphanage.

  • Reports of ill-usage at the factory prompted an investigation by the authorities.

  • Many animals suffer from ill-usage in captivity.

  • The animal rights group campaigned against the ill-usage of animals in the circus.

  • Many people were outraged by the ill-usage of workers in the factory.

  • The documentary highlighted the ill-usage of vulnerable children in care homes.

Synonyms

abuse
vsill-usage
  • NSFW
686 3.2

Harmful treatment of people or animals that happens again and again

includes harsh conduct that may be single or ongoing, not only repeated violence
cruelty
vsill-usage
  • NSFW
129 3.2

Actions that hurt people or animals on purpose

focuses on harsh or abusive conduct more than on the deliberate intent
mistreatment
vsill-usage
22 4.0

Hurting or being unfair to people and animals

is stronger, implying cruelty or inhumanity rather than general bad treatment
inhumanity
vsill-usage
  • NSFW
12 6.6

Very cruel actions that show no care for other people

is the concrete idea of harsh conduct rather than the moral judgment of cruelty
maltreatment
vsill-usage
  • NSFW
4 7.0

Cruel treatment that hurts people or animals physically and emotionally

covers harsh conduct broadly, not only cases that cause clear harm
ill-treatment
vsill-usage
  • NSFW
3 6.4

Cruel treatment of a person or animal, often over a long time

is the general term for harsh or abusive conduct without time focus
inhuman treatment
vsill-usage
  • Offensive
1 8.3

An act that causes someone great pain and suffering on purpose

is broader, covering harsh conduct that may be less deliberately extreme

Antonyms

respect
∞ 1.0

Polite actions or words that show you value someone

How Abusive

atrocity
151 8.1
to abuse
  • NSFW
344 3.7
ill-usage
  • NSFW
9.9
mistreatment
22 4.0
neglect
100 3.5

Surface Forms

ill-usage singular
ill-usages plural

Morphology

ill-usage = usage (semi-transparent) = ill + usage

The prefix 'ill-' clearly signals 'bad', but 'usage' more commonly means 'use' or 'custom' than 'treatment', so the specific sense 'cruel treatment' is not fully predictable for all learners.

Etymology

Ill-usage joins ill- meaning 'bad' and usage meaning 'use', so it literally says 'bad use' of someone or something. That's why the word refers to cruel or harsh treatment, much like the common word abuse.