ILL-USE Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-use

verb

ˈil-ˈyüz

Definition of ill-use

as in to abuse

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon some of the employees felt so ill-used by the new manager that they quit

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-use

Verb

The City Council instructed the city attorney to regulate phenibut, a drug that’s available at gas stations and being abused as a nervous system depressant.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Communities from Lansing, Michigan, to Pflugerville, Texas, are ending their relationship with Flock, largely over concerns regarding out-of-control surveillance, unwanted data sharing, high expenses, and reports of police abusing the tool.

— Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

Trump has been bullying Canada since the start of his second term.

— Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence.

— Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of bully

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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ill-usages

ill-use

ill-used

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“Ill-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-use. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill-use

verb

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