to abuse
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to physically abuse
To repeatedly or severely commit physical violence against a person or animal and cause pain or injury.
Er wurde angeklagt, weil er seinen Hund schwer misshandelt haben soll.
He was charged because he is alleged to have severely abused his dog.
to emotionally abuse
To psychologically torment, humiliate, or treat someone badly.
Sie wurde von ihrem Partner jahrelang seelisch misshandelt.
She was emotionally abused by her partner for years.
The verb consists of the prefix 'miss-' and the stem 'handeln' (to act/deal). The prefix 'miss-' always expresses something negative, wrong, or bad. 'Misshandeln' therefore literally means 'schlecht behandeln' (to treat badly).
Es ist verboten, Tiere zu misshandeln.
It is forbidden to abuse animals.
'Misshandeln' is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'miss-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all tenses and sentence constructions. The past participle is formed without 'ge-': 'hat misshandelt' (has abused).
Er hat seine Frau jahrelang misshandelt.
He abused his wife for years.
The verb 'misshandeln' (to abuse) always requires a direct object in the accusative. This object is the person or animal that suffers the bad treatment.
Der Täter hat sein Opfer schwer misshandelt.
The perpetrator severely abused his victim.
To make clear that psychological violence is meant, adverbs such as 'seelisch' (emotionally) or 'psychisch' (psychologically) are often added. Without such an addition, 'misshandeln' is often understood as physical violence.
Er hat sie nicht geschlagen, aber psychisch misshandelt.
He did not hit her, but he emotionally abused her.
to misuse / abuse
Both verbs can describe serious wrongdoing against a person. Misshandeln emphasizes physical violence or psychological torment, while missbrauchen can additionally highlight exploiting the person, especially in cases of sexual abuse. For violence without this aspect of exploitation, misshandeln is more suitable.
Der Betreuer misshandelte seine Schutzbefohlene wiederholt und fügte ihr Verletzungen zu.
The supervisor repeatedly physically abused his female ward and injured her.
Der Betreuer missbrauchte seine Schutzbefohlene sexuell und nutzte ihre Abhängigkeit aus.
The supervisor sexually abused his female ward and exploited her dependence.
