HomeServicesBlogDictionariesContactSpanish Course
← Back to search

Meaning of abusive | Babel Free

Adjective CEFR B1
/əˈbjuː.sɪv/

Definitions

  1. Prone to treat someone badly by coarse, insulting words or other maltreatment; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous.
  2. Tending to deceive; fraudulent.
    obsolete
  3. Tending to misuse; practising or containing abuse.
    archaic
  4. Being physically or emotionally injurious; characterized by repeated violence or other abuse.
  5. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied; unjust; illegal.
  6. Catachrestic.
    archaic

Translations

Examples

“All they could ever do was to shout abusive inanities at me and my colleagues.”
“an abusive treaty”
“[…] to begin in this vacation the foundation of a trifling subject which might shroud in his leaves the abusive enormities of these our times.”
“the abusive prerogatives of his see”
“I am […]necessitated to use the word Parliament improperly, according to the abusive acceptation thereof.”

CEFR level

B1
Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B1 vocabulary — intermediate level.

See also

Learn this word in context

See abusive used in real conversations inside our free language course.

Start Free Course