as in insulting
marked by harsh insulting language
never one to believe that honorable people can disagree honorably, he invariably launches abusive attacks against anyone who dares to challenge him
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abusive
Rudin stepped away from producing in 2021 after allegations of abusive in-office bullying surfaced.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 July 2025
This production will mark Rudin’s return to Broadway, after being largely absent following 2021 media accounts alleging abusive treatment of some of his staffers.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Otero Cruz, from Women Against Abuse, said leaving an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time for survivors.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 July 2025
This production will mark Rudin’s return to Broadway, after being largely absent following 2021 media accounts alleging abusive treatment of some of his staffers.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Otero Cruz, from Women Against Abuse, said leaving an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time for survivors.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
-
And then, especially in the past several years, friends who stayed say: Honestly, this is kind of insulting—the way people keep talking about Lebanon from afar.—
Sahar Delijani
July 17,
Literary Hub,
17 July 2025
-
The deliberate and insulting call-out immediately sent the wrestling world into a frenzy.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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The film series' latest installment — Madea's Destination Wedding — premiered on Netflix on July 11 and has proven to be one of the franchise's most outrageous chapters yet.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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Insult to injury, large change orders provided again without explanation to a firm with direct political connection to the city administration — outrageous!—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Lawsuit alleges 'obscene' government overreach Longo's lawsuit, filed in Chemung County, New York, names the county, the city of Elmira and several DEC officers as defendants.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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The court acknowledged that protecting minors from material that would be considered obscene from their perspective was a compelling government interest.—
Noah Feldman,
Mercury News,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
This record offensive effort came a year after the league’s annual exhibition game was a competitive contest that pitted the U.S Olympic team against WNBA All-Stars.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
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Though the Dodgers and Betts have spent much of the season saying there is no correlation between the position shift and his offensive decline, Betts was more receptive to the idea Friday.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
Attacks are now surging across the U.S., targeting citizens with malicious texts, emails and popups.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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Because the malicious screen is transparent, there are no visual cues to suggest anything suspicious is happening.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Transcripts of the depositions conducted by utility lawyers were made public Friday in Superior Court and hundreds of pages of questions and answers suggest questions about who contributed what to the vituperative oped may never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
25 July 2025
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On Wednesday, the President faced a barrage of ominous developments that might have fazed another leader—a worrisome jobs report, losses in federal court related to four of his signature policies, an increasingly vituperative public breakup with Elon Musk.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
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The good people of Lancaster County were innocent of the charges thrown at them by raving Southerners and scurrilous Democrats.—
Matthew Karp,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The explosion of sports betting might not be the reason for the increase in personal invective being spewed at games.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Between the time the former Marine Soto was indicted in 2018 and sentenced in 2020, then-President Donald Trump offered up vitriolic invective to Mexican officials.—
Sean Campbell,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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