Meaning & use
mistreatment
Last updated
UK/ˌmɪsˈtriːtmənt/
US/ˌmɪsˈtriːtmənt/
Meaning
noununcountable
Unkind, unfair or harmful behavior toward a person or animal in your care or power.
Grammar: Not used with an or an: reports of mistreatment, not a mistreatment.
Patterns
- mistreatment of someone
- mistreatment by someone
The report documented the mistreatment of patients at the care home.
Animals rescued from mistreatment were taken to a shelter.
Workers complained of mistreatment by their supervisors.
Common combinations
- mistreatment of prisoners
- The inquiry looked into the mistreatment of prisoners.
- suffer mistreatment
- Many of the horses had suffered mistreatment.
- allegations of mistreatment
- The school faced allegations of mistreatment.
- physical mistreatment
- The child showed signs of physical mistreatment.
- protect from mistreatment
- New laws aim to protect workers from mistreatment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- abuse
- Abuse is stronger and usually suggests deliberate cruelty, while mistreatment can also cover neglect and unfairness.
- maltreatment
- Maltreatment means almost the same thing but sounds more technical and is common in legal and social-work writing.
- ill-treatment
- Ill-treatment is the usual British form and is very close in meaning, with mistreatment being more common in American English.
- neglect
- Neglect means failing to give care, whereas mistreatment includes actively harmful behavior.
Opposites
Word family
- mistreat verb
- to treat badly
- mistreated adjective
- badly treated
- treatment noun
- the way someone is handled
- treat verb
- to behave toward someone in a certain way
Practice
The charity campaigns against the ____ of working animals.
Choose one answer.
Mistreatment of animals means cruel or unfair treatment. Mistake, mistrust and mismatch are real words but do not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mistreatment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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