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elder abuse

Definition of Elder Abuse

(noun) When older people are deprived of care or intentionally harmed by their caretakers.

Examples of Elder Abuse

  • Forging an elderly individual’s signature on checks or posing as them online.
  • Taking financial advantage of older people by gaining their trust and manipulating them.
  • Verbally abusing an older parent.

Elder Abuse Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: eld·er a·buse

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /El-duhr uh-byOOs/
  • British English – /El-duh uh-byOOs/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈɛldər əˈbjus/
  • British English – /ˈɛldər əˈbjuːs/

Usage Note

  • Plural: elder abuses

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Cite the Definition of Elder Abuse

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “elder abuse.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/elder-abuse/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

elder abuse. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/elder-abuse/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “elder abuse.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/elder-abuse/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“elder abuse.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/elder-abuse/>.