treat badly; "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead
If someone mistreats a person or an animal, they treat them badly, especially by making them suffer physically. She has been mistreated by men in the past. = ill-treat. to treat a person or animal badly, especially in a cruel way = ill-treat, maltreat maltreat
Mistreatment of a person or animal is cruel behaviour towards them, especially by making them suffer physically. issues like police brutality and mistreatment of people in prisons. = maltreatment