The difference between Abuse and Insult

When used as nouns, abuse means improper treatment or usage, whereas insult means an action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude.

When used as verbs, abuse means to put to a wrong use, whereas insult means to be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody).

check bellow for the other definitions of Abuse and Insult

  1. Abuse as a noun:

    Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.

    Examples:

    "All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad."

  2. Abuse as a noun:

    Misuse; improper use; perversion.

  3. Abuse as a noun (obsolete):

    A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.

  4. Abuse as a noun (dated, _, outside of, _, Africa):

    Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.

  5. Abuse as a noun (now, rare):

      Catachresis.

  6. Abuse as a noun:

    Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.

  7. Abuse as a noun:

    Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.

  1. Abuse as a verb (transitive):

    To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to misuse; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert

    Examples:

    "He abused his authority."

  2. Abuse as a verb (transitive):

    To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.

  3. Abuse as a verb (transitive, dated, _, outside of, _, Africa):

    To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.

  4. Abuse as a verb (transitive):

    To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.

  5. Abuse as a verb (transitive, archaic):

    To violate; defile; to rape.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Spenser"

  6. Abuse as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    Misrepresent; adulterate.

  7. Abuse as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.

  8. Abuse as a verb (transitive, obsolete, Scotland):

    Disuse.

  1. Insult as a verb (transitive):

    To be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody); to affront or demean (someone).

    Examples:

    "RQ:Shakespeare As You Like It act=III scene=v page=199 column=2 passage=And why I pray you? who might be your mother / That you inſult, exult, and all at once / Ouer the wretched?"

  2. Insult as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):

    To behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (over or against someone).

  3. Insult as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):

    To leap or trample upon; to make a sudden onset upon.

  1. Insult as a noun:

    An action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude.

  2. Insult as a noun:

    Anything that causes offence/offense, e.g. by being of an unacceptable quality.

    Examples:

    "The way the orchestra performed tonight was an insult to my ears."

  3. Insult as a noun (medicine):

    Something causing disease or injury to the body or bodily processes.

  4. Insult as a noun (obsolete):

    The act of leaping on; onset; attack.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Dryden"

Compare words:

Compare with synonyms and related words: