Verbal abuse – it is something that can plague a relationship and can leave the victims of it suffering in silence. 

The National Library of Medicine estimates that about 29% of women and 23% of men will suffer from verbal abuse at some point in their lives. 

So, with that in mind, you may be wondering what the signs of verbal abuse are? Here are some of the different types of verbal abuse that you should watch out for. 

Gaslighting 

This is one of the top signs of a verbally abusive relationship because, by definition, it results in you questioning your sanity. The most difficult part about this one is that, at times, it can be difficult to even know that it is happening. 

That is because someone who is verbally abusive will rarely admit guilt. They will twist words and memories of events around to make it seem like it is your fault. 

On top of this, they could also give a lengthy explanation as to why they did what they did that could make you feel guilty for making the abuser feel that way. 

Gaslighting forces a victim to have a clear memory of events and to listen very carefully to promises and statements to defeat them. 

Isolation 

Another sign of someone who could be verbally abusive is to insist on isolation from the rest of the world. This is because isolation eliminates outside influences and allows an abuser to have more control over a victim. 

An example of this is an abuser telling the victim that they cannot see certain family members anymore, such as relatives, siblings, or parents. Then, it could avoid seeing friends that the abuser considers a “bad influence” on the victim. 

All of this is designed to prevent outsiders from influencing a victim and to allow the abuser to go on with as few people recognizing their behavior as possible. 

Threatening Language 

A more obvious sign of verbal abuse is when the abuser starts using threatening language toward the victim. This can come in several ways, starting with threatening to take something away from you. 

An example of this is getting rid of the house pet or breaking a material possession that you value deeply. An even worse sign of this is when an abuser threatens to physically harm you or your children. 

Verbal abusers try to use intimidating language to get the victim to submit to their will. This type of verbal abuse is typically more common in a verbally abusive husband than in a verbally abusive wife. 

Still, it is an important sign to recognize when your safety and well-being are at risk. 

See More Signs of Verbal Abuse

These are three of the biggest signs of verbal abuse. Unfortunately, there are many more that you may need to watch out for. 

Do you want to find out more verbal abuse signs? Read the rest of our blog for more articles on relationships.