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to mistreat

to mistreat

63 2.9
To be cruel to people or animals
  • verb
  • /ˌmɪsˈtrit/
translation icon : maltratar
  • It is unacceptable to mistreat anyone, regardless of the situation.
  • mistreat people
  • mistreat children
  • mistreat women

And we always seem to mistreat the ones we love first.

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Examples

  • If you've been mistreated, I wanna know about it.

  • When you allow people to mistreat you, that starts to reflect poorly on you.

  • And we always seem to mistreat the ones we love first.

  • Hey nobody gets to mistreat my dog like that, except me.

  • If you never again mistreat a child, then you have nothing to fear from me.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • You were not allowed to mistreat them, not in public anyway.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • This song goes out to anyone who has ever felt mistreated.

  • It's my job to help anyone who's being mistreated.

  • I can't stand seeing animals mistreated.

  • After the homes reopened, four staffers were arrested on charges of mistreating young people in their care.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

to abuse
vsto mistreat
  • NSFW
344 3.7

To treat a person or animal cruelly to harm them

covers cruel treatment but not necessarily involving force or words
to victimize
vsto mistreat
  • US
70 6.0

Treat someone cruelly or unfairly so they suffer

is general bad treatment without focusing on creating a victim
to wrong
vsto mistreat
53 5.2

Treat someone unfairly

stresses cruelty or bad treatment rather than only injustice
to brutalize
vsto mistreat
  • Offensive
34 7.7

Treat someone cruelly with violence or make them numb to suffering

is cruelty that does not require extreme violence
to step on
vsto mistreat
  • Informal
23 6.7

To treat someone badly to gain power or get ahead

is broader, covering bad treatment beyond power or advantage motives
to maltreat
vsto mistreat
  • NSFW
3 7.4

To be cruel to a person or animal

has identical meaning and use in most contexts
to ill-treat
vsto mistreat
  • NSFW
5.2

Behave towards a person or animal in a cruel, unfair way

is the single word form rather than a hyphenated one
to ill-use
vsto mistreat
  • NSFW
8.6

To treat people or animals badly and unfairly

is the general single word for that harsh or unfair treatment

Antonyms

Treat someone with respect and kindness

How Cruel

to torture
  • Offensive
582 5.7
to abuse
  • NSFW
344 3.7
to mistreat
63 2.9
to ill-treat
  • NSFW
5.2

Surface Forms

mistreat infinitive
mistreated past
mistreated past participle
mistreating present participle
mistreats third person singular

Morphology

mistreat = treat (transparent) = mis + treat

The prefix 'mis-' meaning 'badly/wrongly' combines with the verb 'treat' to give the clear meaning 'treat badly'.

Etymology

Mistreat is made of mis- meaning 'wrong' or 'badly' and treat, meaning 'to act toward someone' or 'to care for someone'. So, like mistake is a 'wrong' action and the opposite of good treatment, to mistreat someone is to treat them badly or cruelly.