mistreat
Americanverb (used with object)
-
mistreats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mistreated,
past participle, past
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mistreating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mistreatsimple
-
mistreatssimple
-
have mistreatedperfect
-
has mistreatedperfect
-
am mistreatingprogressive
-
are mistreatingprogressive
-
is mistreatingprogressive
-
have been mistreatingperfect progressive
-
has been mistreatingperfect progressive
Past
-
mistreatedsimple
-
had mistreatedperfect
-
was mistreatingprogressive
-
were mistreatingprogressive
-
had been mistreatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mistreat
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English mistreten; see mis- 1, treat
Explanation
If you mistreat someone, you harm them in some way. If you don't feed your cat for three days and refuse to clean its litter box, you are definitely mistreating it. People mistreat each other in all sorts of ways, from the emotional (by belittling, ignoring, or mocking them) to the physical (by hitting or otherwise physically harming them). If you see a neighbor mistreat his dog, you might call the police. If a teacher were to mistreat her students, she could lose her job. This verb adds the "bad or wrong" prefix mis- to treat, from its Latin root tractare, "manage or handle."
Vocabulary lists containing mistreat
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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.
See Examples For:
Skeptics could still support it for a human-centric reason, because mistreating AI systems could reinforce bad habits that make it more likely for those systems to mistreat humans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
Zambian union leaders said Chinese managers pay poorly and mistreat workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
One attendee had even brought her sign from 2017, a verse from Leviticus in English and in Hebrew: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.”
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2025
There are a lot of people who mistreat dogs and take dogs for granted.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024
“So they betrayed me, is that what you are saying? Why? Did I mistreat the Second Sons? Did I cheat you on your pay?”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
TWU Local 100 and carriage drivers have long denied that the industry mistreats or abuses its horses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The stunt was meant to support critics of SeaWorld who assert that the park mistreats its orcas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
After a decade-long battle, a former animal trainer has succeeded in his mission of getting a beloved walrus out of Canada's most popular aquatic zoo, which has faced allegations that it mistreats its animals.
From BBC ● May 17, 2023
In the second passage, an excerpt from Petronius’s Satyricon, the formerly enslaved Trimalchio mistreats his own enslaved people during a lavish dinner party.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
And I don’t feel like anybody mistreats me or anything, except sometimes people act too nice, too polite, like they’re afraid they might ask the wrong question .
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
“Even in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor,” Mr. Fukuyama writes, “there were kind Americans trying to help those mistreated by their own government.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
She said she felt compelled to publicly speak of her experience because of the controversial reaction to a story published by the New York Times, in which several women alleged Platner mistreated them.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
"He was very rude, he disrespected me and mistreated me on the phone," Michelle Bolsonaro, 44, told her 8.2 million Instagram followers about her stepson Flavio Bolsonaro, 45.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
They have called adult protective services repeatedly, claiming that their mom is being mistreated, court documents show, and have tried to monitor her own whereabouts, Ruth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
I got angry with the growers who mistreated them and was glad when Tom Joad protested and fought for their rights.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
During the campaign she aired a public feud with Flavio, accusing him of mistreating her.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Skeptics could still support it for a human-centric reason, because mistreating AI systems could reinforce bad habits that make it more likely for those systems to mistreat humans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
Before the Rand Refinery can handle the metal, it needs to ensure it is mined in a responsible manner, including without damaging the environment, mistreating workers or funding corrupt officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
State Farm spokesperson Bob Devereux disputed the insurer was mistreating its customers and said in a written statement an “overwhelming majority are satisfied with our service.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2025
“This guy’s been mistreating his momma,” Darlene explained.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
