1
as in condemnations
a prayer that harm will come to someone
uttered a curse upon his persecutor from the scaffold
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in swears
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
started muttering curses after hitting his thumb with the hammer
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in threats
a source of harm or misfortune
intolerance of personal differences is a curse of humanity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in condemns
to ask a divine power to send harm or evil upon
I curse the guy who had the idea of having annoying salespeople call up innocent people to sell them things they don't want
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to
misfortunes and problems seem to have cursed everyone ever associated with that house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cusses
to use offensive or indecent language
you'll have to put a quarter in the jar every time you curse
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in blames
to use profane or obscene language at or about
cursed him for showing up late, when he knew how important it was to be on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of curses
Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Set for Vietnamese release in the fourth quarter of 2025, The Whispering Spirit is based on ancient myths about special days known as ‘Tam Nương’ that have curses placed on them.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Seth was given the job to create a list of curses and a list of clean words that Steve could shout.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2025
The street entertainment will include hand-pan music, breakdancing and performer Sarah Beth Nelson, who will create custom blessings and curses on handmade paper for patrons, Daily said.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
Still, their gestures stopped just short of contact-mock punches, hand-games of intimidation to replace lost curses.
—Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
The last of the old curses and the purest championship drought in the sport.
—Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Set for Vietnamese release in the fourth quarter of 2025, The Whispering Spirit is based on ancient myths about special days known as ‘Tam Nương’ that have curses placed on them.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Seth was given the job to create a list of curses and a list of clean words that Steve could shout.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2025
The street entertainment will include hand-pan music, breakdancing and performer Sarah Beth Nelson, who will create custom blessings and curses on handmade paper for patrons, Daily said.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
Still, their gestures stopped just short of contact-mock punches, hand-games of intimidation to replace lost curses.
—Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
Liam Perino curses in front of his parents.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curses
Noun
-
While condemnations are not uncommon, the city does not casually tear down properties, especially prominent ones.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Emirati leaders’ response, marked by swift condemnations and the prompt visit of a historically high-ranking delegation to Doha, indicate that Israel’s government seriously misjudged the situation.—
Monica Marks,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s threats of an extra 100% tariff on China is believed to have triggered a $19 billion sell-off that began Friday.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
But threats can range from someone with a gun, to someone resisting arrest, to many scenarios in between.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Latino civil rights organization condemns attack The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a national civil rights organization for Latinos, condemned the attack at the ICE facility.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The measure, introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, passed on a vote of 310 to 58 and condemns the killing of Kirk.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Every unit can be audited on a public ledger, reducing the opacity that plagues traditional finance.—
Luke Xie,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
His voice already had that staticky, far-away quality that plagues international calls, which made Nakia fear he was gone for good.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Vogue’s Concetta Ciarlo also swears by Purito’s gel-cream when trying to calm her own flare ups.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Contributor Yelena Moroz Alpert swears by its power.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When the school’s athletic director winds up dead after a heated confrontation with Peyton, the campus gleefully blames the most hated woman in college basketball.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Book-Carrie initially blames Lo for disrupting her and Richard’s plan, and willingly holds her hostage at Richard’s behest.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
People saw it not once, not twice, but over and over, frequently dressing up as the characters and hurling things — toast, rice, puns, obscenities — at the screen.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
-
On Saturday, McIlroy repeatedly had to step away from his golf ball as spectators shouted obscenities and personal insults at the Irishman.—
Jenna West,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The aforementioned around-town mileage, for example, was one of the biggest banes of the Jeep owner's existence.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Curses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curses. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share