treat

treat vb 1 parley, negotiate, *confer, commune, consult, advise

Analogous words: *discuss, dispute, argue, debate: *consider, weigh, study: *think, reason, deliberate

2 Treat, deal, handle are comparable when they mean to have to do with a person or thing in a way specified in the context.

Treat in the sense of doing about, serving, or coping with is usually accompanied by context indicating an attitude, temperament, or point of view determining behavior or a manner of approach or execution

{

treat all controversial questions impartially

}

{

treat a subject realistically

}

{

treat with care

}

{

treating her guests cavalierly by treating with scorn nearly all the ancient virtues— Hummel

}

{

before Massasoit died he made his sons promise to treat the Brown family kindly— Clift

}

Deal, followed by with, may suggest managing, controlling, or authoritative disposing

{

she dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat— Joyce

}

{

the dean dealt with the matter promptly

}

{

the only previous meeting . . . had dealt essentially with the immediate problems of military cooperation— Deakin

}

and sometimes it suggests a relationship between persons or parties on a more or less even basis

{

we're dealing with a ruthless foe that knows exactly what he wants— L. B. Salomon

}

Handle is often interchangeable with treat and deal (with); it may suggest a placing, directing, disposing, or manipulating with or as if with the hand

{

handle an ax skillfully

}

{

handle the distribution of tickets

}

{

handling the arrangement of flowers

}

{

the federal government picked up a group of unfilled functions that the states could not handle— Berle

}

Occasionally he wondered—if and when they were married—how on earth he would handle her— Styron)

Analogous words: *conduct, manage: regard, respect (see under REGARD n): *consider, account: *estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate