mistreat
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
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
"It is the public's game and if they choose to mistreat it then they are at risk of losing it," he said.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2024
If any big kid tried to mistreat a small one, Perry would settle that rite now.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Definitions 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.
