abusive

adjective

abu·​sive ə-ˈbyü-siv How to pronounce abusive (audio)
 also  -ziv
1
a
: using harsh, insulting language
an angry and abusive crowd
b
: harsh and insulting
abusive language
c
: using or involving physical violence or emotional cruelty
abusive behavior
an abusive husband
an abusive relationship
2
: characterized by wrong or improper use or action
especially : corrupt
abusive financial practices
abusively adverb
abusiveness noun

Examples of abusive in a Sentence

The fans yelled abusive comments to the referee. protecting wives from abusive husbands
Recent Examples on the Web This month, a company engineer sent letters to the board, lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission warning that Microsoft wasn’t doing enough to safeguard its AI image generation tool from creating abusive and violent content. Dina Bass, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 This went hand in hand with an abusive environment on the USA Gymnastics team (a scandal that would eventually become public). Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024 However, following reports of his alleged abusive behavior on set, Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider in March 2018. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 Among the victims are thousands of Chinese immigrants, many of them smuggled across the Mexican border to toil in often abusive conditions at farms ringed by fences, surveillance cameras and guards with guns and machetes. Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024 Mike’s relationship with his father was physically abusive, and memories of it made Mike bitter and despondent for the rest of his life, Christopher Stathis said. Alex Traub, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The new nun becomes friends with Sister Mary (The White Lotus season two’s Simona Tabasco), a brash and defiant woman who joined the convent to escape an abusive relationship. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 My own research suggested that Facebook failed to constrain activity among abusive superusers that weighed heavily in algorithmic promotion. Nathaniel Lubin, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 When Meghan was targeted by abusive language online, Harry blamed it on hostile and racist press coverage. Mark Landler, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abusive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French abusif "misplaced, wrong, in error," borrowed from Late Latin abūsīvus "misused, catachrestic," from Latin abūsus, past participle of abūtī "to abuse entry 2" + -īvus -ive

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of abusive was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near abusive

Cite this Entry

“Abusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abusive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

abusive

adjective
abu·​sive ə-ˈbyü-siv How to pronounce abusive (audio)
-ziv
: using or characterized by abuse
abusively adverb
abusiveness noun

Legal Definition

abusive

adjective
abu·​sive ə-ˈbyü-siv, -ziv How to pronounce abusive (audio)
1
: characterized by wrong or improper use or action
abusive tax shelters
2
: inflicting verbal or physical abuse
abusive parents
abusively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on abusive

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