abusive

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English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Adjective

abusive (comparative more abusive, superlative most abusive)

  1. Prone to treat someone badly by coarse, insulting words or other maltreatment; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous.
    All they could ever do was to shout abusive inanities at me and my colleagues.
  2. (obsolete) Tending to deceive; fraudulent.
    • a. 1627 (date written), Francis , “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. ”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. , London: I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, , published 1629, →OCLC:
      an abusive treaty
  3. (archaic) Tending to misuse; practising or containing abuse.
    • 1589, Thomas Nashe, The Anatomy of Absurdity:
      to begin in this vacation the foundation of a trifling subject which might shroud in his leaves the abusive enormities of these our times.
    • 1837, Henry Hallam, Introduction to the Literature of Europe:
      the abusive prerogatives of his see
  4. Being physically or emotionally injurious; characterized by repeated violence or other abuse.
  5. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied; unjust; illegal.
    • 1662, Thomas Fuller, Worthies of England:
      I am necessitated to use the word Parliament improperly, according to the abusive acceptation thereof.
  6. (archaic) Catachrestic.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

References

  1. ^ Laurence Urdang (editor), The Random House College Dictionary (Random House, 1984 , →ISBN), page 6
  2. ^ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 , →ISBN), page 8
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abusive”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 10.

French

Pronunciation

Adjective

abusive

  1. feminine singular of abusif

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a.buˈzi.ve/
  • Rhymes: -ive
  • Hyphenation: a‧bu‧sì‧ve

Adjective

abusive

  1. feminine plural of abusivo

Anagrams

Latin

Pronunciation

Adjective

abūsīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of abūsīvus

Adverb

abusive (not comparable)

  1. wrongly, in an incorrect manner, by catachresis
  2. slightly, not really in earnest

References

  • “abusive”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • abusive in Georges, Karl Ernst, Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918) Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 1, Hahnsche Buchhandlung
  • abusive in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
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