Mistreatment is the name of an action: treating a person or an animal badly, especially in a cruel way. It is a noun, not a verb — you mistreat someone, and that action is mistreatment.

Mistreatment是 the name of an action一個動作的名稱: especially尤其 in a cruel way用殘忍的方式 treating a person or an animal badly對人或動物不好. It它 is a noun是名詞, not a verb不是動詞 — you mistreat someone你虐待某人, and that action那個動作 is就是 mistreatment虐待這件事.

The word is heavier than “being unkind.” People use it for hitting, starving, locking someone up, or wearing a person down with fear and harsh words, often over time. News and law use it a lot: child mistreatment, mistreatment of prisoners, mistreatment of animals.

The word這個字 than比 "being unkind"「不友善」 is heavier更重. People use it for人們用它指 hitting毆打, starving餓肚子, locking someone up把人關起來, or wearing a person down with fear and harsh words或用恐懼和刻薄話慢慢磨垮一個人, often over time常常拖很久. News and law新聞和法律 use it a lot很常用它: child mistreatment兒童虐待, mistreatment of prisoners對囚犯的虐待, mistreatment of animals對動物的虐待.

Though actually, people stretch it. A worker might call a rude boss “mistreatment” even when nothing illegal happened, and listeners sometimes argue about where “strict” ends and mistreatment begins.

Though actually不過實際上, people stretch it人們會把它用得更寬鬆. even when nothing illegal happened就算沒發生違法的事, a worker員工 might call a rude boss也可能把無禮的老闆稱作 "mistreatment"「mistreatment」, and listeners聽的人 sometimes有時 argue about還會爭論 where "strict" ends「嚴格」在哪裡結束 and mistreatment begins、mistreatment從哪裡開始.

The word does not, by itself, tell you how bad it was; the rest of the sentence has to do that.

The word這個字 by itself本身 does not tell you並不會告訴你 how bad it was事情有多嚴重; the rest of the sentence句子其他部分 has to do that才要負責說.