| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | wrong use |
| Synonyms: | corruption, crime, debasement, delinquency, desecration, exploitation, fault, injustice, misapplication, misconduct, misdeed, mishandling, mismanage, misuse, offense, perversion, prostitution, sin, wrong, wrongdoing |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal attack |
| Synonyms: | bad-mouthing, blame, castigation, censure, curse, curses, defamation, derision, hosing, insults, invective, kicking around, knifing, libel, obloquy, opprobrium, pushing around, put-down, quinine, reproach, revilement, scolding, signifying, slander, swearing, tirade, upbraiding, vilification, vituperation |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
| Antonyms: | acclamation, adulation, approval, commendation, plaudit, praise |
| Main Entry: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | an insult |
| Synonyms: | abuse, backhanded compliment, brickbat, dirty deed, indignity, injury, left-handed compliment, offense, outrage, provocation, put-down, slap in the face, slap, slight, slur, vexation, wrong |
| Notes: | effrontery means shameless boldness or insulting presumptuousness while an affront is a deliberately offensive act or open insult |
| Antonyms: | appeasement, compliment, pleasantry |
| Main Entry: | aspersion |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal exhibition of bad temper |
| Synonyms: | abuse, animadversion, backbiting, backhanded compliment, black eye, calumny, defamation, detraction, dirty dig, hit*, invective, knock*, libel, obloquy, put-down, rap, slam*, slander, smear, vituperation |
| Notes: | baptism by sprinkling is aspersion, by dipping is immersion, by pouring water is affusion |
| Antonyms: | calmness, happiness, kindness, mildness |
| Main Entry: | attack |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal assault |
| Synonyms: | abuse, aggression, belligerence, blame, calumny, censure, combativeness, criticism, denigration, denunciation, impugnment, libel, pugnacity, slander, vilification |
| Antonyms: | defense, reprisal, resistance, retreat, submission, surrender |
| Main Entry: | backbiting |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hateful talk |
| Synonyms: | abuse, aspersion, backstabbing, belittlement, calumniation, calumny, cattiness, defamation, denigration, depreciation, detraction, disparagement, gossip, invective, lie, malice, obloquy, scandal, slander, spite, spitefulness, tale, traducement, vilification, vituperation |
| Antonyms: | encouragement, praise |
| Main Entry: | blasphemy |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | irreverence |
| Synonyms: | abuse, cursing, cussing, desecration, execration, heresy, impiety, impiousness, imprecation, indignity, lewdness, profanation, profaneness, profanity, reviling, sacrilege, scoffing, scurrility, swearing, vituperation |
| Antonyms: | godliness, piety, religion, religiousness, reverence |
| Main Entry: | cut |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | insult |
| Synonyms: | abuse, hateful remark, indignity, offense |
| Antonyms: | compliment, nicety, praise |
| Main Entry: | detraction |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | misrepresentation; slander |
| Synonyms: | abuse, aspersion, backbiting, backstabbing, belittlement, calumny, damage, defamation, denigration, deprecation, derogation, disesteem, disparagement, harm, hit, hurt, injury, injustice, innuendo, insinuation, knock*, libel, libeling, lie, maligning, minimization, muckraking, obloquy, pejorative, revilement, ridicule, running down, scandal, scandalmongering, scurrility, slam, smear campaign, tale, traducement, traducing, vilification, vituperation, wrong |
| Antonyms: | admiration, adulation, flattery, praise |