maltreatment

[ mal-treet-muhnt ]

noun

1. the act of treating someone badly, cruelly, or roughly; abuse:

   Around 4 to 6 percent of elderly people have experienced some form of maltreatment at home.

Word History and Origins

Origin of maltreatment¹

First recorded in 1700–10; mal- ( def ) + treatment ( def )

Example Sentences

Think about it—in the musical, Annie and her fellow orphans go through a lot of grief and abuse, but their maltreatment is played for laughs.

From Slate

It even seeps its way into the policies that govern child welfare, which assume that individual adults’ bad choices are at fault for the adversities children face, overlooking the societal ills—namely poverty—that are in fact at the heart of most maltreatment cases, and that demand systemic solutions.

From Slate

When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an apology to Indigenous Californians in 2019 “for the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect California inflicted on tribes,” Tarango and his cousins were on hand to bless the occasion with traditional singing.

From Los Angeles Times

A study examining childhood maltreatment in Australia has revealed the shocking burden for Australians, estimating it causes up to 40 percent of common, life-long mental health conditions.

From Science Daily

Childhood maltreatment is classified as physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and emotional or physical neglect before the age of 18.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• injustice