maltreat

[ mal-treet ]
/ mælˈtrit /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR maltreat ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to treat or handle badly, cruelly, or roughly; abuse: to maltreat a prisoner.

Origin of maltreat

1700–10; earlier maltrait < French maltraiter. See mal-, treat

OTHER WORDS FROM maltreat

mal·treat·er, noun mal·treat·ment, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH maltreat

maltreatment mistreatment

Words nearby maltreat

malthusianism, malting, maltodextrin, maltol, maltose, maltreat, maltster, malty, maluku, malunion, malus' law

Words related to maltreat

victimize, misuse, harm, damage, mishandle, injure

Example sentences from the Web for maltreat

British Dictionary definitions for maltreat

maltreat
/ (mælˈtriːt) /

verb

(tr) to treat badly, cruelly, or inconsiderately

Derived forms of maltreat

maltreater, noun maltreatment, noun

Word Origin for maltreat

C18: from French maltraiter