Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Characterized by improper or wrongful use: abusive utilization of public funds.
- adj. Using or containing insulting or coarse language: finally reprimanded the abusive colleague.
- adj. Causing physical injury to another: abusive punishment.
- adj. Relating to or practicing sexual abuse.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Practising abuse; using harsh words or ill treatment: as, an abusive author; an abusive fellow. Characterized by or containing abuse; marked by contumely or ill use; harsh; ill-natured; injurious.
- Marked by or full of abuses; corrupt: as, an abusive exercise of power.
- Misleading, or tending to mislead; employed by misuse; improper.
- Synonyms and Insolent, insultiug, offensive, scurrilous, ribald, reproachful, opprobrious, reviling.
Wiktionary
- adj. Being physically injurious; characterized by repeated violence.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied.
- adj. Archaic Given to misusing; also, full of abuses.
- adj. Practicing abuse; prone to ill treat by coarse, insulting words or by other ill usage
- adj. Containing abuse, or serving as the instrument of abuse; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous.
- adj. obsolete Tending to deceive; fraudulent; cheating.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. expressing offensive reproach
- adj. characterized by physical or psychological maltreatment
Examples
“Earlier this year, temporary workers at a Pennsylvania plant packing Hershey products staged a mass walkout over what they described as abusive working conditions.”
The Huffington Post: The New Blue Collar: Temporary Work, Lasting Poverty And The American Warehouse
“Of the $4 trillion in alleged deficit reduction over 10 years, about half would be from tax increases, mostly on what he called "abusive tax shelters and tax havens" and families "sufficiently fortunate to be earning a million dollars a year.”
“South Korea banned short selling, following Taiwan's move late Monday to limit short-selling volume, while Hong Kong regulators said they plan more aggressive measures against what they called abusive short-selling.”
“An Oregon woman has sued the Recording Industry Assocation of America in response to what she calls abusive tactics by the RIAA, including threats to "interrogate" the woman's ten-year-old daughter.”
“There has been what I call abusive language on both sides.”
“New York gossip columnist Lloyd Grove reports that Olbermann now says he shouldn't have replied to what he called abusive and hateful e-mails.”
“Plus, women who fled what they call abusive arranged marriages in his tightly-guarded community.”
“Agents will also examine more returns of high-income taxpayers in search of what they call abusive shelters, or transactions with no real economic purpose other than dodging taxes.”
“Rupert Murdoch, 80, the chairman of the News Corporation and James Murdoch's father, in what they described as their abusive experiences at the hands of tabloids owned by the News Corporation, including The News of the World and The Sun.”
“I needed to know that I was not alone," said Snyder, who was exiting what she described as an abusive relationship when she posted her request.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abusive’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Dominant/Submissive
single-minded, self-seeking, vain, territorial, stubborn, self-possessed, unwary, self-important, rigid, relentless, resolute, purposeful and 189 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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my gre list
its my gre word lists
abeyance, aberr, abash, abide, abhor, abject, abjure, ablution, abode, abolish, abominable, aboriginal and 19 more...
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5000 FREE SAT Words
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 229 more...
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MiaLuthien's list ♥
gambit, prehensile, coquetry, impunity, genuflect, ensconce, clavicle, delude, beget, castigate, life caching, convoluted and 478 more...
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SAT Vocab
Redundant.
problematic, proclivity, prodigal, prodigious, prodigy, profane, profligate, profound, profusion, proliferation, prolific, prologue and 455 more...
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Cage
cage, depart, nothing, void, strain, unconscious, never, alone, floor, God, hell, winter and 219 more...
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feeling words
twitterpated, loquacious, ambiguous, pensive, sluggish, anxious, adventurous, curious, abandoned, absent-minded, abrasive, abused and 653 more...
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list1
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, ablution and 106 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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SAT
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