Meaning
abuse, misuse
- overuse, excess
In a sentence
L'abuso di zucchero fa male ai denti.
Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
L'abuso di alcol può causare gravi problemi di salute.
Alcohol abuse can cause serious health problems.
Non fare abuso del cellulare la sera.
Don't overuse your phone in the evening.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| abuso | masculine · singular |
| abusi | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use abuso for legal, social, or moral wrongdoing; for simple bad treatment of an object, misuse often translates better as uso improprio.
- Common with di: abuso di potere, abuso di alcol, abuso di droghe. The preposition is usually not omitted.
- In legal and news contexts, abuso is very common and formal-neutral; in everyday speech, specific phrases like maltrattamento may fit better.