mauled

American  

[mawld] / mɔld /

adjective

1. harshly treated.

   The critically mauled movie sequel has also led to countless parodies and imitations.

2. badly injured or damaged.

   In the aftermath of the fox’s visit, Robin found half her chickens missing and a badly mauled rooster inside the chicken house itself.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of maul.

Other Word Forms

• unmauled adjective

Etymology

Origin of mauled

maul ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

He treasures that trait even as he has hidden it beneath armor to avoid “being too badly mauled by the vicissitudes of life.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

Matthew, as his own son Trev would later reflect, had always “felt mauled by Aldous and burdened by his massive family legacy,” as he said in a video interview in December, 2023.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2025

The Slovak cabinet has approved a plan to shoot around a quarter of the country's brown bears, after a man was mauled to death while walking in a forest in Central Slovakia.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2025

He mentioned the Golden Gophers having beaten conference front-runner Michigan, their excellent help defense and their having mauled USC in the paint last weekend during a victory at the Galen Center.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

The health center was where you went for everything from a little cough to getting mauled by a bear.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz