misuse

noun

An incorrect, improper or unlawful use of something.

verb

(transitive) To use (something) incorrectly.

(transitive) To abuse or mistreat (something or someone).

(transitive) To rape (a woman); later more generally, to sexually abuse (someone).

(obsolete, transitive) To abuse verbally, to insult.

Roots

missimis- · other · wrongly utor-us · Latin · use

Synonyms for misuse

abusen misapplyv misusage misapplicationn misemployadj misappropriationn catachresisn mistreatmentn usen misappropriatev pervertn defalcatev usagen mistreatv misconductn maltreatv mismanagev

Synonyms & related words for misuse

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of misuse — including abuse, misapply, misusage, misapplication, misemploy, misappropriation. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to misuse

Explore words related to misuse — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include misuser, overuse, mishandling, maltreatment, abusiveness, abusive, abuser, mismanagement. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for misuse

Common synonyms for misuse include abuse, misapply, misusage, misapplication, misemploy, misappropriation, catachresis, mistreatment — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does misuse come from?

The word misuse breaks down into 2 roots of other and Latin origin: mis-, from other missi (“wrongly”); and -us, from Latin utor (“use”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.