maltreatment

American  

[mal-treet-muhnt] / mælˈtrit mənt /

noun

1. the act of treating someone badly, cruelly, or roughly; abuse.

   Around 4 to 6 percent of elderly people have experienced some form of maltreatment at home.

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Etymology

Origin of maltreatment

First recorded in 1700–10; mal- ( def. ) + treatment ( def. )

Explanation

Maltreatment is what happens when a person (or animal) is abused or deliberately harmed. If you are concerned with the maltreatment of animals, circuses probably disturb you. In the old days, some schoolchildren experienced maltreatment at the hands of their teachers, and while it happens less often today, many of them still deal with the maltreatment of playground bullies. Maltreatment of animals has been documented at large factory farms, and laws have been passed to protect them. Maltreatment adds the mal- prefix, meaning "badly," to treatment, "conduct toward someone."

Example Sentences

Individuals with a history of maltreatment tended to show signs of dysfunction in their immune systems, and the researchers showed that this dysfunction is the product of obesity and repeated exposure to traumatic events.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2024

Another study showed that segments of neighborhoods with maintained lawns had lower rates of child maltreatment.

From National Geographic • Dec. 14, 2023

The same goes for Pierce County, where caseworkers investigating child maltreatment now leave kids with their parents 43% more often than they did a year ago.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023

But in 1967, a shocking report by the News Of The World revealed endemic maltreatment of patients there.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2023

The Cyclopes and the Titans he left at large; and Earth, enraged at the maltreatment of her other children, appealed to them to help her.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• injustice