| Library / English Dictionary |
ILL-USAGE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Cruel or inhumane treatment
Example:
the child showed signs of physical abuse
Synonyms:
abuse; ill-treatment; ill-usage; maltreatment
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("ill-usage" is a kind of...):
mistreatment (the practice of treating (someone or something) badly)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ill-usage"):
child abuse (the physical or emotional or sexual mistreatment of children)
child neglect (failure of caretakers to provide adequate emotional and physical care for a child)
persecution (the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion))
cruelty; inhuman treatment (a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering)
Derivation:
ill-use (treat badly)
