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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-used
  1. abused
  2. bullied
Verb
  • Furious season 1 wrapped up the case as Alice arrested Catherine at Jay Easton’s (Peter McRobbie) house — the site where Catherine and her friend Isabel (Larissa Campos) were abused.
    — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That series revealed just how little many local police departments are doing to make sure street-camera data is not being abused.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • The Fire turned up the pressure defensively in the paint and consistently bullied the Dream out of it.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • View this post on Instagram Priscilla Villanueva said her son, Dakota Cabrera, has been bullied for wearing his hair in a braid, but seeing Pete do the same gives him hope.
    — Marissa Armas, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullied
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
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Cite this Entry

“Ill-used.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-used. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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