The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ILL-USED
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
I
L
L
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U
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D
More clues leading to the result ILL-USED
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "badly treated" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case badly treated = ill-used.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ILL-USED mean?
ILL-USED verb- To treat someone badly, cruelly or unkindly.