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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abusive
Attendees will learn about what constitutes neglect, abuse and exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities, as well as how to report an abusive or neglectful situation.
—
Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
Damir smashed a reporter’s phone at Wimbledon in 2000, before being banned from the WTA for six months in the same year after abusive behavior at the U.S. Open.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Psychologist Dawn Hughes provided expert opinion on abusive relationships, saying victims of domestic violence can feel trapped by physical, psychological and financial control.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Engaging in a strategy that the IRS has listed as abusive can expose all parties involved—sellers, promoters, attorneys and accountants—to penalties and unwanted attention.
—Andre Pennington, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
Damir smashed a reporter’s phone at Wimbledon in 2000, before being banned from the WTA for six months in the same year after abusive behavior at the U.S. Open.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Psychologist Dawn Hughes provided expert opinion on abusive relationships, saying victims of domestic violence can feel trapped by physical, psychological and financial control.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Engaging in a strategy that the IRS has listed as abusive can expose all parties involved—sellers, promoters, attorneys and accountants—to penalties and unwanted attention.
—Andre Pennington, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for abusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusive
Adjective
-
Trump began the meeting by mildly insulting Ramaphosa, who took it in stride.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
21 May 2025
-
The idea that women need to be properly taught how to conceive a child through a government program is a particularly insulting proposal, says Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Like Chelsea and City, PSG have been successful (dominant, in fact) domestically, teams stuffed with outrageous talent, led by some of the great coaches of the era, filling their trophy cabinets accordingly.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
-
Nobody was outrageous or acting out or anything like that.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Venis’s obscene wealth justifies an unbridled narcissism that reflects our worst fears of tech moguls.—
Andrew Wallenstein,
Variety,
28 May 2025
-
In December 2014, a jury convicted Magnotta of first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a human body, publishing obscene material and mailing obscene and indecent material.—
Jessica Sager,
People.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
But in a ceaseless offensive onslaught in the opening two innings on Saturday, things seemed to suddenly, profoundly and perhaps permanently change.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
-
That in itself is a valuable tool for a defenseman: being able to skate the puck into the neutral zone and then make a clean first pass to get the offensive process started.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
This is the threat potential given commonalities despite seemingly different developers, and those links to malicious domains.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
-
Mandiant found ads for over 30 such malicious websites; most were posted on Facebook but a handful of them appeared on LinkedIn.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Even before Trump took office, many scientists were reluctant to engage with the topic, for fear of being drawn into what has been a very public and vituperative debate.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2025
-
And so, amid the noise and smoke of the culture wars, Cobb’s quaintly reactionary act intersected with vituperative Trumpian revanchism, and Cobb became a conservative TV personality.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Pace David Axelrod’s insinuation, there is nothing untoward or scurrilous about the citizenry asking who knew what — and when.—
The Editors,
National Review,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
So despite invective aimed at Trump and DOGE, limiting executive power is hardly what progressives want.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
In the same year, Disney’s ESPN had to contend with host Pat McAfee, a rambunctious host, hurling invective at a former senior executive, Norby Williamson, who the host alleged had tried to sabotage his program.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusive. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share