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
And while no expletives were actually spoken during Thursday's episode, the fourth hour of Today has been host to several slip-ups from stars and co-hosts alike.
—
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
And the Panthers’ fourth-year quarterback let loose with a couple of expletives that grabbed everyone’s attention, including media members standing nearby.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Most who try, though, end up offering this simple structure, often involving an expletive and an inflection that nearly crosses the vocal threshold from overwhelming admiration into admonition.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
This car will induce whiplash in the unprepared and expletives from those who have been forewarned.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for expletive
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
And the Panthers’ fourth-year quarterback let loose with a couple of expletives that grabbed everyone’s attention, including media members standing nearby.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Most who try, though, end up offering this simple structure, often involving an expletive and an inflection that nearly crosses the vocal threshold from overwhelming admiration into admonition.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
This car will induce whiplash in the unprepared and expletives from those who have been forewarned.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for expletive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletive
Noun
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Such is the blessing and curse of summer produce.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 June 2026
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The Curse of Billy Penn lived on for decades, and now the modern-day Rocky statue curse appears to have claimed its latest victim.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
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Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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FlareFlow, which operates under COL Group – listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s ChiNext board – has released approximately 5,200 series to date, with 33 million registered users, support for 14 languages, and a presence spanning upward of 200 countries and regions.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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For the last couple of years, the test has been provided in six languages, allowing vital linguistic access to our more than 70,000 students learning English as a second language.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The volume was very loud, and all that could be heard was one profanity after another.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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And profanities featured in roughly 10% of all clauses, used at a rate substantially higher than the same speakers would use while awake.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The epithet is not a concession (the database of Trumpian apologies has yet to receive any inputs).—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
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Tape recordings played during the case also showed Fuhrman had used a racial epithet despite his testimony claiming to never have done so.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
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
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Expletive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletive. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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