abusive Hear it!

abusive definition

abu·sive (ə byo̵̅o̅′siv; also, -ziv)

adjective

  1. involving or characterized by abuse or misuse; abusing; mistreating
  2. coarse and insulting in language; scurrilous; harshly scolding

Etymology: Fr abusif < L abusivus < abusus: see abuse

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

abusive Synonyms

abusive

modif.

  1. Harshly insulting

    offensive, scurrilous, insulting, sharp-tongued; see opprobrious, rude 2.

  2. Treating badly

    brutal, sadistic, injurious, corrupt; see cruel 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

abusive Usage Examples

Preposition: as

  • act: Hence rape within marriage is now considered to be as abusive as any other violent act.

Preposition: towards

  • member: Maxton was on occasion abusive toward members of the Conservative Party and was several times suspended from the House of Comments for his comments.

Modifies a noun

  • e-mails: Please don't send Felix lots of abusive e-mails, he is such a nice gentleman.

Modifying Another Word

  • verbally: The only time I have heard him swearing or be verbally abusive has been in the presence of his mother.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: At a visit on 18 June 1992 Mr Roberts became abusive.

Preposition: in

  • way: Being abusive in any way toward fellow players or admins will also result in disciplinary action.
abusive usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"abusive." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/abusive>

APA Style

abusive. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/abusive

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