Abuse
Abuse verb - To inflict physical or emotional harm upon.
Usage example: if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
Harm is a synonym for abuse in activity topic. In some cases you can use "Harm" instead the word "Abuse" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like practice, injure, injury, ill-treat.
Harm
Harm verb - To cause bodily damage to.
Usage example: though she wasn't harmed by the flying glass, she slipped and fell on a piece and cut her hand
Abuse is a synonym for harm in injure topic. You can use "Abuse" instead the word "Harm" as a verb or a noun, if it concerns topics such as activity, practice, injury.
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| emotional | emotional abuse | emotional harm |
| physical | physical abuse | physical harm |
| regular | regular abuse | regular harm |
| considerable | considerable abuse | considerable harm |
| Other adjectives: actual, real, severe, massive, extreme, serious, bad, excessive, potential, mental, psychological, widespread, possible, comical, less, further, hilarious, previous, financial, long-term. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Likewise it's pretty clear that Bro didn't intend to harm or abuse Dave; he was just completely unprepared to care for a child.
Source: Fanfic / Brainbent -
Frida on El Tigre received more harm and abuse than any other character in the series.
Source: Slapstick Knows No Gender -
Take a look at the pages for suicide, preventing suicide, self-harm and abuse.
Source: You Are Not Alone
Cite this Source
Harm and Abuse. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/abuse/harm
Abuse & Harm. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/abuse/harm>.
Harm or Abuse. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/abuse/harm.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "abuse" and "harm" have occurred on timeline