abused
adjective
Simple meaning
Overused; used profligately or in excess.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbyoozdSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əbˈjuzd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Having been a victim of some form of abuse, most commonly child abuse or domestic violence.
Overused; used profligately or in excess.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Having been a victim of some form of abuse, most commonly child abuse or domestic violence.
This word carries a heavy emotional weight. It implies severe harm, often chronic, and is much stronger than simply 'mistreated' or 'harmed,' emphasizing the victim's experience and lack of power.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Where you'll really hear it
News reports
“The rescued children appeared abused and malnourished, requiring immediate care.”
Social services discussion
“We need to ensure that no child feels alone or abused in our community.”
Legal context
“Her testimony detailed how she had been physically abused for years.”
Where it naturally appears
- Family/home
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use abused
- “The old toy looked worn and abused from years of rough play.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: having been a victim of some form of abuse
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.