# abusive

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈbjuː.sɪv/ · frequency rank #8,633

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

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

## Easily confused with
- **abuse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abuse-vs-abusive)
- **abrasive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abrasive-vs-abusive)

## Common misspellings (9)
`abbusive`, `absuive`, `abuisve`, `abusiev`, `abusivve`, `abussive`, `abusvie`, `aubsive`, `bausive`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/abusive