abusive

abusive Definition

abu·sive (ə byo̵̅o̅′siv; also, -ziv)

adjective

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

abusive Related Forms

abu′·sively adverb abu′·sive·ness noun

abusive Synonyms

modif.

Harshly insulting
offensive, scurrilous, insulting, sharp-tongued; see opprobrious, rude 2.
Treating badly
brutal, sadistic, injurious, corrupt; see cruel 1.

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.
behavior: Domestic abuse is any violent or abusive behavior toward you by a person known to you.
boyfriend: She steals from him for her abusive boyfriend; she talks of planning to kill him.
husband: A woman who fatally stabbed her abusive husband had her murder conviction quashed by the court of appeal today.
registration: Do you have any examples of an Abusive Registration?
father: Tom Cruise lived in fear of his abusive father.

Modifying Another Word

verbally: The only time I have heard him swearing or be verbally abusive has been in the presence of his mother.
racially: Three young children made racially abusive comments to the mother of a Bournemouth shop owner.
sexually: I consider myself fortunate that my dad wasn't a physical or sexually abusive parent, instead I suppose I suffered abuse through neglect.
violently: Shelley's violently abusive poems against them strike me as hysterical.
emotionally: Their problems were exacerbated by their struggle with the benefits system, which she considered emotionally abusive.
physically: He was never physically abusive to Mom or to me.

Used with adjective complement

become: At a visit on 18 June 1992 Mr Roberts became abusive.
consider: Their problems were exacerbated by their struggle with the benefits system, which she considered emotionally abusive.
get: Enjoy a bit of friendly banter but do not get abusive.
grow: It's no wonder that the kids grow up abusive, stroppy, slow learners, and disrespectful of authority!

Preposition: in

way: Being abusive in any way toward fellow players or admins will also result in disciplinary action.
nature: Be advised, some of the language used is abusive in nature, we have chosen not to sanitize this.

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