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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 As the mother resumed telling the officer what happened, Ruiz allegedly came back downstairs and used several expletives toward her, police wrote. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026 The Supreme Court decision also protected citizens' right to use expletives, including around police officers. — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 21 Aug. 2026 Commenters on Jacobs’ post were sympathetic to his close call in nearly dropping an expletive. — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 As Hwang and her partner placed the ticket on the car’s windshield and were returning to their vehicle, the vehicle’s owner approached, yelling expletives and ripping the citation to pieces. — Kansas City Star, 31 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 anime’s first part closed with the disturbances tied to the body-swap curse largely resolved, and with Reirin and Keigetsu having grown closer after coming to understand each other through the experience.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • For readers who are familiar with the literary curse of Plaschke in his column over the years, this prediction is not that.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
  • Whole lives are neatly bound in tidy language, conveyed within the confines of a page or two.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • So early this year, Henderson's doctors, evaluating his tumor's deep genetic language, turned to a drug made by Merck and AstraZeneca called Lynparza.
    — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • Witnesses on the plane told CBS News New York that Lundeen's behavior -- which included screaming profanities and racial slurs and becoming physically abusive -- was putting other passengers at risk.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Armed with strings of profanity and his thick Mancunian brogue, Liam admits that being back in front of an audience does, in fact, mean a lot to him.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 10 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expletive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletive. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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