mauled

[mawld]

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mauled¹

maul ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Tyrese Gibson faces one charge of cruelty to animals stemming from a September incident in Fulton County, Ga., that left a neighbor’s 5-year-old dog mauled and dead.

From Los Angeles Times

The last deadly shark attack in the Sydney area in 2022, when Simon Nellist - a British diving instructor - was mauled by a great white shark.

From BBC

He treasures that trait even as he has hidden it beneath armor to avoid “being too badly mauled by the vicissitudes of life.”

From Los Angeles Times

One woman was killed and another person injured in a San Bernardino park after the two were mauled in an attack involving more than a dozen stray dogs on Thursday, police said.

From Los Angeles Times

The tiger mauled her as she attempted to drag her into the cage, leading to permanent damage, according to a lawsuit later settled with the city.

From Los Angeles Times