invective

1 of 2

noun

in·vec·tive in-ˈvek-tiv

: insulting or abusive language : vituperation

: an abusive expression or speech

invective

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse

invectively adverb

invectiveness noun

Did you know?

Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse," but by the early 16th century, it was functioning as a noun referring to a harsh verbal attack, and within a few decades, to abusive language as a whole. Invective is similar to verbal abuse, but in addition to being a more formal term than abuse, invective tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but also rhetorical skill. It sometimes also implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective."

Choose the Right Synonym for invective

abuse, vituperation, invective, obloquy, billingsgate mean vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval.

abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

scathing verbal abuse

vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

a torrent of vituperation

invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

blistering political invective

obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

subjected to obloquy and derision

billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

Example Sentences

Noun a barrage of racist invective hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic Adjective an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

What stuck with me most, however, were the scenes where Brown looks in the mirror and delivers a bitter stream of brutal invective. —

Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Nov. 2022 The final weekend of an accelerated 2022 campaign season in Illinois began against the backdrop of intense partisan polarization, as voters continued to be fed an ever increasing level of anger-stoking political invective. —

Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2022 The political movement founded by Mr. Kahane, who was assassinated in New York in 1990, was barred from politics in the late 1980s due to its anti-Arab invective. —

Neri Zilber, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2022 Two years later, Spiro Agnew, Nixon’s vice president, launched a Trump-style campaign of invective in the off-year elections. —

Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2022 Almost immediately, reports of prominent names in entertainment and fashion walking out of the show surfaced online, and Ye’s method of unleashing invective at detractors via Instagram quickly backfired. —

Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2022 Republicans who break party ranks and defy former President Donald J. Trump have come to expect insults, invective and death threats — often stoked by their own colleagues and conservative activists, who have denounced them as traitors. —

New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021 There are few more touching moments in the film than watching Epton’s son Jeffrey talking about how the nasty racist invective of that race did not come from his father but from those who supported him. —

Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2022 The antisemitic invective was surely cleaned up in American press accounts. —

Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022

Adjective

Spend your fight on nasty jabs at the opposition, invective at party rivals, cable-show drama, and personal crusades? —

Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022 Critics have praised both the show and Australian actor Jason Clarke’s intense portrayal of West as a volatile man given to bursts of invective, impressive in their duration and profane inventiveness. —

David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 Two Minutes Hate, with a bit of invective reserved for the mercurial Senator Kyrsten Sinema, may feel cathartic. —

Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 23 Dec. 2021 His invective blends projection and wishful thinking. —

Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021 The report also said board members received threatening and invective-laden emails. —

Cory Shaffer, cleveland, 16 Nov. 2021 Daldry achieves latitude by balancing invective with humor in confrontations that are always honest and leveling. —

Armond White, National Review, 3 Sep. 2021 The column is a strange mélange of quotes from celebrities, conservative political analysis, invective against foes real and perceived, anecdotes about the peculiarity of life in Manhattan, and aphorisms and puns. —

Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Aug. 2021 Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs unleashed a torrent of invective and false claims against Democrats, never-Trump Republicans and the news media and called for the president’s supporters to protest and take every legal avenue to fight. —

Steven T. Dennis, Bloomberg.com, 7 Nov. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'invective.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.