ill-use
verb (used with object)
to treat badly, unjustly, cruelly, etc.
ill-used
-
past participleof ill-use.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof ill-use.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
ill-useverb (used with object)to treat badly, unjustly, cruelly, etc.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The very readable, if long and winding, “The Calamity Club” focuses on a crew of frequently ill-used, tough-minded white women.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
The film tells us that she’s had a storied career; we see only a helicopter mom played by an ill-used Annette Bening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2022
Another problem with the film is that the actors are ill-used or underused.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2020
Well, maybe, though I’m not sure the Joan embodied here by the gifted but ill-used Jo Lampert should be taken as a paradigm for today’s wearers of pink pussy hats.
From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2017
Then she sent for the stranger who had been ill-used.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
