Abusive supervision is a pivotal factor in workplace dynamics, profoundly influencing employees’ emotional states and behavioral responses. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this research explores the underlying processes and contextual factors that shape the link between abusive supervision and employees’ knowledge-hiding behavior. The findings, derived from a two-waves survey of 134 full-time workers in China, indicate that abusive management enhances the tendency of employees to conceal their knowledge, with loneliness at work indirectly contributing to this dynamic. Moreover, an external locus of control not only influences the association between workplace loneliness and knowledge hiding behavior but also shapes its indirect effect. In particular, there is a higher positive correlation between workplace loneliness and information hiding behavior when individuals have a lower amount of external locus of control, which amplifies the indirect effect overall. Finally, this research explores both the theoretical and practical significance of these results.