billingsgate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word billingsgate distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of billingsgate are abuse, invective, obloquy, and vituperation. While all these words mean "vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval," billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

When is abuse a more appropriate choice than billingsgate?

The synonyms abuse and billingsgate are sometimes interchangeable, but abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

scathing verbal abuse

In what contexts can invective take the place of billingsgate?

In some situations, the words invective and billingsgate are roughly equivalent. However, invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

blistering political invective

When could obloquy be used to replace billingsgate?

The words obloquy and billingsgate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

subjected to obloquy and derision

Where would vituperation be a reasonable alternative to billingsgate?

While in some cases nearly identical to billingsgate, vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

a torrent of vituperation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for billingsgate
Noun
  • Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Ellis died at age 39 from heart failure due to alcohol withdrawal syndrome following an ongoing struggle with substance abuse.
    Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The insults have been flying in the back-and-forth, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for at least the short term.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Some others within the group interpreted Yahaya’s lyrics as an insult to the Prophet Muhammad.
    Sean Nelson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Rory McIlroy was the lightning rod for the invective, and so was his wife.
    Don Riddell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
  • In the months before the $5 million match, Ali turned up the invective, calling Frazier dumb, mocking his dark skin, and painting him as a lackey for his white handlers.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
  • The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.
    Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The criticism drew a sharp and dismissive response from Kelani Jordan.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The move came on the heels of NFL analyst Rex Ryan's previous criticisms of Sanders’ outspoken nature.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Billingsgate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billingsgate. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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