expletive

noun

ˈek-splə-tiv How to pronounce expletive (audio)
Definition of expletivenext
as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression unleashed a slew of expletives upon losing the tennis match

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 expletive Instead of simply letting the girls enjoy the game, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton confronted them and unleashed a string of expletives. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 Balloons, a Colombian soccer jersey, dozens of flowers and handwritten notes – some with expletives; others, crayon drawings from children – decorated the makeshift memorial at the intersection of Hill and Pool streets. — Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026 Lewis Hamilton would have been justified in firing off a few expletives himself. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026 Neighbors shouted expletives at the commission members and the council chambers erupted into chaos after the results of the vote were announced. — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for expletive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletive
  1. curse
  2. swear
  3. language
  4. profanity
  5. epithet
  6. vulgarism
  7. cuss
Noun
  • The generational curse in question involves the men who fall in love with the Owens women, who are destined to die untimely deaths.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • When their family's love curse pops up again, the siblings work with their aunts (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest) and Sally's kids (Joey King and Maisie Williams) to break it once and for all.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of curse
Noun
  • The pinky swear proved binding, as Nelson wrote the screenplay within six weeks.
    — William Earl, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Why fill with swears a show that might otherwise have been appointment viewing for the whole family?
    — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Definition of swear
Noun
  • Although there are plenty of books in three languages (Arabic, French, and English), there are also museums, a planetarium, and a lab dedicated to restoring and preserving ancient manuscripts.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Emily Elconin / Bloomberg via Getty Images The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has for decades sent election monitors to polling sites to protect voters from discrimination based on race, disability or language.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • Notes on the investigation obtained by the Courant show witnesses who were interviewed said Plessy Cloud spoke only in a respectful tone and that no voices were raised, nor were any profanities heard.
    — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
  • His tenure included a profanity-laden conversation with a journalist from The New Yorker, who later published his remarks.
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of profanity
Noun
  • The raid drew criticism over separating families, and a group of Idahoans sued, saying officers hurled racial epithets and largely withheld water, food, bathrooms and medical care.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Hochman detailed a number of prosecutions, including the sentence of one man to a life sentence plus seven years with the possibility of parole for a March 23 attack, during which racial epithets were uttered.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of epithet
Noun
  • As the Oxford English Dictionary notes, the expression not hardly is considered a vulgarism.
    — NR Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020
  • The British cringed over new American accents, coinages and vulgarisms.
    — Time, Time, 11 June 2019
Definition of vulgarism
Noun
  • He’d just been followed down a country highway by an angry mob, which screamed cusses and gave him the finger.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of cuss

Browse Nearby Words

explanatory
expletive
expletives
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Cite this Entry

“Expletive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletive. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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