billingsgate

Definition of billingsgatenext

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
  • The child's mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Jan. 2026
  • On one hand, some argue that Good was attempting to leave the scene, and a trigger-happy ICE agent fired his weapon at her, an abuse of authority.
    Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Those choosing the first option (agreement) will find that what follows is not respect, but mistreatment; those choosing the second (returning fire) are merely providing confirmation of what your hosts already believe — as well as fresh material for their next round of insults.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Advertisement Despite being appointed by Trump during his first term, Powell shares a contentious relationship with the President, who has often—and publicly—levied insults at him and called for his removal.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • In an invective posted to the Truth Social platform on Thanksgiving, President Trump used a slur for people with intellectual disabilities to describe Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
    Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
  • In Congo, Tutsis face widespread discrimination and bigoted invective.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 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
  • And cornerback Mike Jackson, who had four pass breakups and an interception in the playoff game, dismissed criticism of Evero’s play-calling on the defense’s final drive.
    Mike Kaye Updated January 11, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
  • The couple, who did not grow up knowing one another because of estrangements in their families, faced criticism from both sets of parents for the union.
    Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
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 17 Jan. 2026.

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