ILL-USED Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-used

verb

past tense of ill-use

as in abused

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon some of the employees felt so ill-used by the new manager that they quit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-used

Verb

The charges come with additional special allegations, around the victim’s vulnerability and that Tapia abused a trustworthy position.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Early American corporate charters, after all, were granted for limited public purposes and could be revoked when abused.

— Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of abused

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.

Browse Nearby Words

ill-use

ill-used

ill-uses

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ill-used.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-used. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ill-used

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes