as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
unleashed a slew of expletives upon losing the tennis match
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expletive
No expletive would cover the lazy passing in the build-up, Mads Hermansen straying into the wilderness, the lack of cohesion or urgency.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Johnson exclaimed while recoiling, seemingly followed by inaudible expletives.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Upon hearing the truth, Kevin drags his son out of the container, gives him an earful of expletives, and zaps him with a taser baton.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Mischer lost his temper and let out a string of expletives — which went out live on CNN.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expletive
George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Johnson exclaimed while recoiling, seemingly followed by inaudible expletives.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Upon hearing the truth, Kevin drags his son out of the container, gives him an earful of expletives, and zaps him with a taser baton.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Mischer lost his temper and let out a string of expletives — which went out live on CNN.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expletive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletive
Noun
-
The following list contains killer robots, talking cats, deadly curses and period crime dramas.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
The 18-inch model leaves a cavernous space beneath the bed that can accommodate several tote-style storage containers—which could be a blessing or a curse depending on the usual state of your bedroom floor.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The word was forbidden in their household and treated like a swear.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
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Is this the kind of situation where mild swears seem generally used?—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But a 2017 study found that even infants can distinguish between words in different languages.—
Leslie Garisto Pfaff,
Parents,
15 May 2025
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The razor-sharp dialogue is rapid-fire, and proper delivery requires a keen understanding of the nature and nuance of language.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 May 2025
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Kenyatta gave an even more impassioned appeal, using profanity while trying to portray the bill as part of a sinister plot by the rich to harm the poor.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
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The word has become an epithet for garish, reckless growth — but to fix the housing crisis, the country needs more of it.—
Conor Dougherty,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.—
NR Editors,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2020
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The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.—
Time,
Time,
11 June 2019
Noun
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And, when the alarm wails hours before dawn, human cusses of angry protest join the chorus of budget appliances failing before their time.—
Virginia Konchan,
The New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2024
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My grandmother extended a ladder up into this tough old cuss of a tree and climbed up, at some risk, to pick the bulging fruit.—
Jim Meddleton,
The Christian Science Monitor,
1 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Expletive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletive. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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