Phrase guide

sexual abuse

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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any sexual activity that is undesired by one participant but forced on them nonetheless, especially when considered to be more sustained or frequent than an incident of sexual assault.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Qualifier: crime

Examples

  • 1987, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure I believe that I was the victim of sexual abuse in my relationship with T. It was always the way HE wanted it & I wasn't to do anything I wanted. So I just "submitted" to him & was glad that he would have anything to do with me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sex abuse, molestation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: abuse

2

noun

Meaning 2

a statutory offense that provides that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • most states have replaced the common law definition of rape with statutes defining sexual assault

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sexual assault, sex crime, sex offense

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: statutory offense, statutory offence, regulatory offense, regulatory offence

Narrower terms: molestation, rape, violation, assault, ravishment

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: seksuele misbruik — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Arabic: إِسَاءَة جِنْسِيَّة — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Bulgarian: сексуален тормоз (seksualen tormoz) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Catalan: abús sexual — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 性虐待 (xìngnüèdài) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Danish: seksuelt misbrug — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Dutch: seksueel misbruik — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Finnish: seksuaalinen hyväksikäyttö — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • French: sévices sexuels — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • German: sexueller Missbrauch — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Japanese: 性的虐待 (seitekigyakutai) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Japanese: 性虐待 (seigyakutai) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Korean: 성적 학대 (seongjeok hakdae) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Korean: 성학대 (seonghakdae) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Polish: wykorzystywanie seksualne — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Portuguese: abuso sexual — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Romanian: abuz sexual — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Russian: сексуальное злоупотребление (seksualʹnoje zloupotreblenije) — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Spanish: abuso sexual — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another
  • Swedish: sexuellt övergrepp — forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another