abusive
[ uh-byoo-siv ]
/ əˈbyu sɪv /
|
adjective
using, containing, or characterized by harshly or coarsely insulting language: an abusive author; abusive remarks.
treating badly or injuriously; mistreating, especially physically: his abusive handling of the horse.
wrongly used; corrupt: an abusive exercise of power.
Nearby words
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for abusively
He is neither piously inclined, nor hysterically fearful, nor abusively rebellious—he simply waits his fate.
My Experiences as an Executioner|James BerryEven upon an Assembly numerically limited, this innovation would have told most abusively.
We know men who have what may be styled, and what sometimes is abusively styled, a double life.
The Will to Doubt|Alfred H. LloydI was told that he is still talking angrily and abusively of us, and I was indignant.
War's Brighter Side|Julian Ralph.
British Dictionary definitions for abusively
abusive
/ (əˈbjuːsɪv) /
adjective
characterized by insulting or coarse language
characterized by maltreatment
incorrectly used; corrupt
Derived Formsabusively, adverbabusiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for abusively
abusive
1530s (implied in abusively), originally "improper," from Middle French abusif, from Latin abusivus, from abus-, past participle stem of abuti (see abuse (v.)). Meaning "full of abuse" is from 1580s. Abuseful was used 17c., and Shakespeare has abusious ("Taming of the Shrew," 1594). Related: Abusiveness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper