abuse: meaning and words from its letters
5 letters · 7 letter points · starts with A · ends with E
Meaning of abuse
noun
- countable, uncountable
Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
Example: human rights abuses
- countable, uncountable
Misuse; improper use; perversion.
- countable, uncountable
Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
Example: children hurling abuse at each other
- countable, uncountable
Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
Listed forms: abuses.
Source: Wiktionary — abuse.
verb
- transitive
To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
Example: He abused his authority.
- transitive
To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
- transitive
To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
- transitive
To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.
Listed forms: abuses, abusing, abused.
Source: Wiktionary — abuse.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for abuse.
noun
cruel or inhumane treatment
- maltreatment
- ill-treatment
- ill-usage
noun
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
noun
improper or excessive use
verb
treat badly
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is abuse in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of abuse
A(1) + B(3) + U(1) + S(1) + E(1) = 7 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of abuse
1 other standard-list word uses exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
Shorter words from abuse
15 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in abuse. Showing up to 24, longest first.