Abuse vs. Violence — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Abuse and Violence
ADVERTISEMENT
Definitions
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression.
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation."Internationally, violence resulted in deaths of an estimated 1.28 million people in 2013 up from 1.13 million in 1990.
Abuse
To use improperly or excessively; misuse
Abuse alcohol.
Abuse a privilege.
Violence
Behavior or treatment in which physical force is exerted for the purpose of causing damage or injury
The violence of the rioters.
Abuse
To hurt or injure by maltreatment; ill-use
Animals that were abused by a negligent owner.
ADVERTISEMENT
Violence
Intense force or great power, as in natural phenomena
The violence of a tornado.
Abuse
To force sexual activity on; rape or molest.
Violence
Extreme or powerful emotion or expression
The violence of their tirades.
Abuse
To assail with insulting or hurtful words; revile.
Violence
Distortion of meaning or intent
Do violence to a text.
ADVERTISEMENT
Abuse
(Obsolete) To deceive or trick.
Violence
Extreme force.
The violence of the storm, fortunately, was more awesome than destructive.
Abuse
Improper or excessive use; misuse
Abuse of authority.
Drug abuse.
Violence
Physical action which causes destruction, harm, pain, or suffering.
We try to avoid violence in resolving conflicts.
Abuse
Rough treatment or use
Shoes that have taken a lot of abuse.
Violence
Widespread fighting.
Violence between the government and the rebels continues.
Abuse
Physical maltreatment or violence
Spousal abuse.
Violence
(figuratively) Injustice, wrong.
The translation does violence to the original novel.
Abuse
Sexual abuse.
Violence
(obsolete) ravishment; rape; violation
Abuse
Insulting or hurtful language, especially when used to threaten or demoralize
Subjected her subordinates to verbal abuse.
Violence
(nonstandard) To subject to violence.
Abuse
An unjust or wrongful practice
A government that commits abuses against its citizens.
Violence
The quality or state of being violent; highly excited action, whether physical or moral; vehemence; impetuosity; force.
That sealYou ask with such a violence, the king,Mine and your master, with his own hand gave me.
All the elementsAt least had gone to wrack, disturbed and tornWith the violence of this conflict.
Abuse
Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad.
Human rights abuses.
Violence
Injury done to that which is entitled to respect, reverence, or observance; profanation; infringement; unjust force; outrage; assault.
Do violence to do man.
We can not, without offering violence to all records, divine and human, deny an universal deluge.
Looking down, he sawThe whole earth filled with violence.
Abuse
Misuse; improper use; perversion.
Violence
Ravishment; rape; constupration.
Abuse
(obsolete) A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.
Violence
To assault; to injure; also, to bring by violence; to compel.
Abuse
Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
Violence
An act of aggression (as one against a person who resists);
He may accomplish by craft in the long run what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one
Abuse
Catachresis.
Violence
The property of being wild or turbulent;
The storm's violence
Abuse
Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
Violence
A turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.
Abuse
Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.
Abuse
(transitive) To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to misuse; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
He abused his authority.
Abuse
(transitive) To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
Abuse
(transitive) To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
Abuse
(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.
Abuse
To violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.
Abuse
Misrepresent; adulterate.
Abuse
To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.
Abuse
Disuse.
Abuse
To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to misuse; to put to a bad use; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert; as, to abuse inherited gold; to make an excessive use of; as, to abuse one's authority.
This principle (if one may so abuse the word) shoots rapidly into popularity.
Abuse
To use ill; to maltreat; to act injuriously to; to punish or to tax excessively; to hurt; as, to abuse prisoners, to abuse one's powers, one's patience.
Abuse
To revile; to reproach coarsely; to disparage.
The . . . tellers of news abused the general.
Abuse
To dishonor.
Abuse
To violate; to ravish.
Abuse
To deceive; to impose on.
Their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist cloud, and abused by a double object.
Abuse
Improper treatment or use; application to a wrong or bad purpose; misuse; as, an abuse of our natural powers; an abuse of civil rights, or of privileges or advantages; an abuse of language.
Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power.
Abuse
Physical ill treatment; injury.
Abuse
A corrupt practice or custom; offense; crime; fault; as, the abuses in the civil service.
Abuse after disappeared without a struggle..
Abuse
Vituperative words; coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; virulent condemnation; reviling.
The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to blows.
Abuse
Violation; rape; as, abuse of a female child.
Or is it some abuse, and no such thing?
Abuse
Cruel or inhumane treatment
Abuse
A rude expression intended to offend or hurt;
When a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse
They yelled insults at the visiting team
Abuse
Improper or excessive use
Abuse
Treat badly;
This boss abuses his workers
She is always stepping on others to get ahead
Abuse
Change the inherent purpose or function of something;
Don't abuse the system
The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers
Abuse
Use foul or abusive language towards;
The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket
The angry mother shouted at the teacher
