mauled

American  

[mawld] / mɔld /

adjective

1. harshly treated.

   The critically mauled movie sequel has also led to countless parodies and imitations.

2. badly injured or damaged.

   In the aftermath of the fox’s visit, Robin found half her chickens missing and a badly mauled rooster inside the chicken house itself.

---

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of maul.

Other Word Forms

• unmauled adjective

Etymology

Origin of mauled

maul ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

A woman who was mauled by a dog at a Los Angeles city animal shelter has been awarded $5.4 million by a jury.

From Los Angeles Times

“He’s back with the show. Getting mauled is no big deal.”

From Literature

Thanks to his obliviousness, he and George had been ruthlessly mauled.

From Literature

More recently, he appeared in “Fallout” just long enough for his character to be mauled to death by a mutant bear.

From Salon

He used to present as a staid mainline Episcopalian, but now he denounces that church and speaks of being “mauled by demons.”

From Salon