Mistreatment means treating someone or something badly, unfairly, or harmfully. When a person experiences mistreatment, they're being handled in a way that's wrong or cruel.

You can see mistreatment in different contexts. A pet suffers mistreatment if its owner doesn't feed it or leaves it outside in harsh weather. A student faces mistreatment if a bully deliberately excludes them from games or mocks them for how they look. Workers experience mistreatment when an employer refuses to pay them fairly or makes them work in unsafe conditions.

The word points to something more serious than an accidental slight or a one-time mistake. Mistreatment involves a pattern of harmful behavior or a clear disregard for someone's well-being. If your friend accidentally bumps into you, that's not mistreatment. But if someone deliberately trips you repeatedly, that is.

Throughout history, fighting against mistreatment has driven important changes. People have stood up against the mistreatment of children in factories, animals in laboratories, and citizens denied basic rights. Recognizing mistreatment when you see it, whether of people, animals, or even treasured objects, is the first step toward stopping it.