Okay so what is verbal and emotional abuse really?

I mean I've heard of the broad definition and according to that everyone has been emotionally and/or verbally abused. So why is it so hard to pinpoint compared to the other types of abuse (more obvious physical or ual)? And why does it seem like a parent is less likely to get in trouble or have their kids taken away, from verbally and emotionally abusing them more so than the obvious types of abuse?