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
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Recent Examples of expletive
Díaz-Canel is one of the regime’s most unpopular figures, earning a popular expletive as a nickname on the island.
—
Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
He could be heard screaming expletives immediately after the shooting.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
There wasn't a person in there that gave a (expletive).
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
After a wild few days with expletives and a brief rule change, tensions simmered and teams and players more or less moved on.
—Sallee Ann Harrison, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expletive
Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
He could be heard screaming expletives immediately after the shooting.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
There wasn't a person in there that gave a (expletive).
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
After a wild few days with expletives and a brief rule change, tensions simmered and teams and players more or less moved on.
—Sallee Ann Harrison, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expletive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletive
Noun
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At the beginning of her music career, Jordan was (rightfully) hailed as a prodigy—a blessing and a curse.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Meeting Rachel’s parents and getting that backstory leads her into discovering this family curse.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
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And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Speech-language pathologists work with people who have disorders involving speech, language and swallowing, sometimes from injuries, medical conditions or developmental delays.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Once each semester, Grit Matthias Phelps, a German language instructor at Cornell University, introduces her students to the raw feeling of typing without online assistance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The witness then saw Trezvant walk back to the pavilion and picnic tables, approach Trumpp, yell a profanity and stab her, according to court documents.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
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Using obscene or abusive language Any use of profanity, insults or abusive language is prohibited under the FDCPA.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
-
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 1 Apr. 2026.
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