Meaning & use

mistreatment

noun·Academic

Cruel, unfair, or harmful treatment of a person or animal.

See it in a sentence

The investigation uncovered widespread mistreatment of workers at the factory.

The shelter was created to rescue animals from mistreatment and neglect.

A note on using this word

Mistreatment often implies ongoing or repeated harm, whereas a single unkind act might simply be called unkind or unfair rather than mistreatment.

Words with a similar meaning

abusemaltreatment

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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