Link Centre Dictionary

abusive

abu·sive

UK/əˈbjuː.sɪv/ US/əˈbju.sɪv/ fairly common

adjective

1.
2.

characterized by physical or psychological maltreatment

  • “abusive punishment”
  • “argued...that foster homes are abusive”
Similar

Origin

First attested in the 1530s. From French abusif, from Latin abūsīvus, from abusus + -ivus (“-ive”). Equivalent to abuse + -ive.

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.