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.

---

Etymology

Origin of maltreatment

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

Example Sentences

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

From National Geographic • Dec. 14, 2023

"We are in the identification phase of understanding how stressors like child maltreatment and psychiatric disorders become embedded in our lives on a cellular level."

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 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