Antonyms for abuse
əˈbyuz; əˈbyusabuse

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. abuse

   Abuse covers all unreasonable or improper use or treatment by word or act. A tenant does not abuse rented property by "reasonable wear," though that may damage the property and injure its sale; he may abuse it by needless defacement or neglect. It is possible to abuse a man without harming him, as when the criminal vituperates the judge; or to harm a man without abusing him, as when the witness tells the truth about the criminal. Defame, malign, rail at, revile, slander, vilify, and vituperate are used always in a bad sense. One may be justly reproached. To impose on or to victimize one is to injure him by abusing his confidence. To persecute one is to ill-treat him for opinion's sake, commonly for religious belief; to oppress is generally for political or pecuniary motives. "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy," Deut. xxiv, 14. Misemploy, misuse, and pervert are commonly applied to objects rather than to persons. A dissolute youth misemploys his time, misuses his money and opportunities, harms his associates, perverts his talents, wrongs his parents, ruins himself, abuses every good gift of God.

   Antonyms:
   applaud, benefit, care for, cherish, conserve, consider, eulogize, extol, favor, laud, panegyrize, praise, protect, regard, respect, shield, sustain, tend, uphold, vindicate

   Synonyms:
   aggrieve, damage, defame, defile, disparage, harm, ill-treat, ill-use, impose on, impose upon, injure, malign, maltreat, misemploy, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pervert, prostitute, rail at, ravish, reproach, revile, ruin, slander, victimize, vilify, violate, vituperate, wrong

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abuseverb

   Antonyms:
   tend, protect, conserve, consider, regard, shield, cherish, praise, extol, laud, vindicate, panegyrize, respect

   Synonyms:
   injure, damage, spoil, maltreat, treat-all, ill-use, ill-treat, retile, scandalize, disparage, reproach, upbraid, asperse, malign, slander, vituperate, prostitute, defame, pervert, misuse, misemploy, vilify

2. abusenoun

   Antonyms:
   good-usage, good-treatment, kindness, praise, deference, respect

   Synonyms:
   mistreatment, invective, ill-treatment, opprobrium, scurrility, vituperation, ribaldry, obloquy, reproach, insolence, misusage, ill-usage

Matched Categories

1. • Disrespect
   • Mistreatment
   • Treat
   • Use

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:4.4 / 10 votes

1. maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abusenoun

   cruel or inhumane treatment

   "the child showed signs of physical abuse"

   Synonyms:
   ill-treatment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, maltreatment

2. abuse, insult, revilement, contumely, vilificationnoun

   a rude expression intended to offend or hurt

   "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "they yelled insults at the visiting team"

   Synonyms:
   smear, ill-treatment, malignment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, affront, maltreatment

3. misuse, abuseverb

   improper or excessive use

   "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds"

   Synonyms:
   ill-treatment, contumely, vilification, insult, revilement, ill-usage, misuse, maltreatment

4. mistreat, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, step, ill-treatverb

   treat badly

   "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead"

   Synonyms:
   pervert, maltreat, blackguard, step, tread, pace, clapperclaw, misuse, shout, mistreat, ill-use, ill-treat

5. pervert, misuse, abuseverb

   change the inherent purpose or function of something

   "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"

   Synonyms:
   sophisticate, pervert, shout, vitiate, deprave, debauch, twist, ill-use, blackguard, twist around, subvert, misapply, profane, step, corrupt, debase, misdirect, demoralise, convolute, maltreat, misuse, demoralize, clapperclaw, ill-treat, mistreat

6. abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shoutverb

   use foul or abusive language towards

   "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother shouted at the teacher"

   Synonyms:
   hollo, guy, cry out, pervert, shout, clapperclaw, ill-use, blackguard, roast, make fun, shout out, call out, rib, step, mistreat, holler, yell, call, poke fun, jest at, maltreat, misuse, cry, squall, ridicule, outcry, exclaim, ill-treat, scream, laugh at

7. abuseverb

   use wrongly or improperly or excessively

   "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"

   Synonyms:
   pervert, maltreat, blackguard, clapperclaw, mistreat, misuse, shout, step, ill-use, ill-treat

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. abusenoun

   Synonyms:
   misuse, misapplication, perversion, profanation, desecration, injury, maltreatment, mistreatment, outrage, offense, invective, contumely, reproach, scurrility, opprobrium, tirade, billingsgate, vilification, violation, rape

2. abuseverb

   Synonyms:
   misapply, misuse, pervert, desecrate, violate, profane, maltreat, mistreat, revile, reproach, vilify, vituperate, malign, traduce, violate, ravish, rape

How to use abuse in a sentence?

1. Rahul Gupta:

   This is a top priority, with a sense of urgency to address the abuse crisis, but it starts with prevention and prevention is the best return on investment when you look at it. And getting money directly to communities is so vital to make sure that [prevention programs] are working and they're working effectively.

2. Norm Hooten:

   I lost a couple of close friends that died of drug related overdoses and they were really good guys – special operations guys, losing my fellow soldiers to substance abuse was almost as bad as losing them in combat. All their talent and potential was lost and I wanted to do something about it.

3. Christina Mair:

   It's unclear if the marijuana dispensaries are simply locating in neighborhoods that tend to be more disadvantaged and already have underlying problems with marijuana abuse, or if the presence of the dispensaries is causing an increase in abuse and hospitalizations.

4. David Caba:

   We not only help you in terms of the violence that's going on, but also what else do you have going on that you need help with? maybe there's a substance abuse issue. Maybe you need some housing. There's a difference with us. With us there's no badge, there's no gun, there's no handcuffs, there's no bulletproof vest. It's our credibility. That is our strength.

5. Shekhar Saxena:

   The prevalence of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders and drug abuse vary significantly more between different societies and there are some cultural factors for that.

How to pronounce abuse?

How to say abuse in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency