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 The footage, published by the Idaho State Journal, shows that an exchange of expletives ensued. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026 Applying frosting is one of the few things that cannot be said to be a subset of Haaland’s métier; after tossing his balky piping bag aside in frustration, the Norseman issued an expletive that was deemed bleep-worthy by Fox’s Standards & Practices crew. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026 Chaos erupted after activist and opponent to Henyard Jedidiah Brown called the former supervisor an expletive, leading both Woods and Henyard to enter the melee. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 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
  • Despite these flat denials, and no mention of the ‘curse’ before 1990, the mythology only grew as Mayo’s barren years piled up.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Questions and complaints are frequent and often descend into curse-laden spats.
    — Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 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
  • New and upcoming titles under the deal will carry English subtitles and dubbing in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 July 2026
  • Translators still have steady work years after computer translation approached human parity, because there is no ceiling on what can be translated or into how many languages.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • During a match at the Miami Open, Vasek Pospisil delivered a profanity-laden tirade against the leader of the men’s tennis tour, the ATP.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 25 July 2026
  • Barnacle said Arrabaca, who repaired Patriot missile systems in the Army from 2001 to 2005, derided ICE with profanities during his arrest.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of profanity
Noun
  • Social media has teemed with unsavory videos of Argentinean misbehavior in the stadiums, including fans hurling racial epithets at a Black American influencer and showering Egyptians with beer.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
  • Mendelsohn also retains Homer’s repetitious epithets for characters that some modern translations—written for the silent reader of the 21st century—have slimmed down.
    — Chris Moody, The Atlantic, 16 July 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expletive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletive. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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