What does abused mean?
'Abused' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'abuse', and it also functions as an adjective describing someone or something that has suffered mistreatment. At its core, the word conveys two related ideas: treating a person or animal with cruelty, violence, or persistent harm, and using something — a privilege, a substance, a position of trust — for a wrong or corrupt purpose. A child may be abused at home; a worker may be abused by a bullying manager; public office may be abused for private gain. As an adjective, 'abused' typically appears directly before the noun it modifies, as in 'an abused wife' or 'abused drugs', and it carries heavy negative connotations, often signalling vulnerability, injustice, or violation of trust. The word is common in journalism, law, psychology, and everyday speech, making it essential vocabulary for discussing both personal harm and institutional wrongdoing.
Past tense and past participle of 'abuse': treated with cruelty or violence, or used improperly.
"The animals had been abused before being rescued by the shelter."
In passive constructions ('was abused'), the word frequently introduces accounts of mistreatment in legal and journalistic writing.
Having been subjected to abuse, especially repeated physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment.
"Counsellors work with abused teenagers to help them rebuild trust."
Usually attributive; compounds such as 'sexually abused' specify the nature of the mistreatment.
The word 'abuse' originally meant simply 'to use up' — its dark modern sense grew out of that idea of consuming something wrongly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abused
'Abused' derives from the verb 'abuse', which entered English in the early 15th century from Old French 'abuser', itself from Latin 'abuti', meaning 'to use up or misuse'. The Latin term combines 'ab-' (away, from) with 'uti' (to use). The original sense of consuming or wasting something gradually gave way to the modern meanings of mistreating people and misusing power or substances. Related English words sharing this root include 'abusive' and 'disabuse'.
Related word forms
How abused is actually used
As an adjective, 'abused' is most often found attributively before nouns ('an abused spouse', 'abused substances') and carries strongly negative connotations. In formal and legal contexts it appears frequently in compound forms such as 'physically abused' or 'emotionally abused', which specify the type of mistreatment.
Easily confused with abused
'Obtuse' means slow to understand or blunt in shape, while 'abused' means having been mistreated or misused.