Standard Lemma guide

mistreatment

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH0 S T R IY1 T M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Cruel, abusive, unfair, or thoughtless treatment of a person or animal (or rarely an object).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • There were allegations of mistreatment at the prison.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the practice of treating (someone or something) badly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he should be punished for his mistreatment of his mother

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: practice, pattern

Narrower terms: annoyance, annoying, irritation, vexation, disregard, neglect, exploitation, victimization, victimisation, using, harassment, molestation, maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abuse

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English mistreat Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Old French -mentbor. Middle English -ment English -ment English mistreatment From mistreat + -ment.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: mishandeling — improper treatment
  • German: Misshandlung — improper treatment
  • German: schlechte Behandlung — improper treatment
  • German: Schinderei — improper treatment
  • Indonesian: penganiayaan — improper treatment
  • Latin: contumēlia — improper treatment
  • Māori: rurerurenga — improper treatment
  • Māori: tūkinonga — improper treatment
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mishandling — improper treatment
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mishandling — improper treatment
  • Portuguese: destrato — improper treatment
  • Portuguese: judiação — improper treatment
  • Serbo-Croatian: loše postupanje — improper treatment
  • Serbo-Croatian: zlostavljanje — improper treatment
  • Serbo-Croatian: maltretiranje — improper treatment