as in curses
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
unleashed a slew of expletives upon losing the tennis match
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expletives
Piker went on to make a series of lewd remarks, using expletives to refer to and address former Governor Cuomo.
—
Sirena Bergman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Giménez stared and shouted toward Wrobleski, who responded with a series of expletives that set chaos in motion.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The video then shows agents pulling a suspect out of a white box truck before being confronted by two onlookers shouting expletives at officers.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
The expletives aired uncensored during the NBC live telecast and Peacock’s simulcast but were muted during the West Coast broadcast and in versions later posted online, including on YouTube, according to the New York Post.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2025
There will be plenty for both returning fans and those who are entering the ludus (gladiator school) for the first time, including the intrigue, battle scenes, deception and lots of Jupiter’s expletives, all of which made the original series a hit for Starz.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
The difference between an explicit and clean version of a song is that the former contains expletives or vulgarities, while the latter does not.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Actress and comedian Heather McMahan, who hosted the first tee at Bethpage Black Golf Course on Long Island, New York, was heard on videos posted to social media chanting expletives against golfer Rory McIlroy.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Most of the messages were filled with expletives.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Sirena Bergman, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Giménez stared and shouted toward Wrobleski, who responded with a series of expletives that set chaos in motion.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The video then shows agents pulling a suspect out of a white box truck before being confronted by two onlookers shouting expletives at officers.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
The expletives aired uncensored during the NBC live telecast and Peacock’s simulcast but were muted during the West Coast broadcast and in versions later posted online, including on YouTube, according to the New York Post.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2025
There will be plenty for both returning fans and those who are entering the ludus (gladiator school) for the first time, including the intrigue, battle scenes, deception and lots of Jupiter’s expletives, all of which made the original series a hit for Starz.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
The difference between an explicit and clean version of a song is that the former contains expletives or vulgarities, while the latter does not.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Actress and comedian Heather McMahan, who hosted the first tee at Bethpage Black Golf Course on Long Island, New York, was heard on videos posted to social media chanting expletives against golfer Rory McIlroy.
—Chandelis Duster, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Most of the messages were filled with expletives.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletives
Noun
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With the launch of the Culling Game in the aftermath, 10 colonies from across Japan are transformed into dens of curses as part of a plot orchestrated by the most wicked sorcerer in history, Noritoshi Kamo.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
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Up ahead, two men argued, their shouts and curses drowning out the hum of a helicopter that circled in the distance.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Brown hurled obscenities at the manager and left the building as the fast-food worker screamed in pain, according to the footage.—
Mitch Picasso,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Nineteenth century reformers and religious authorities condemned the circus as an ungodly, drunken spectacle ripe with gender transgressions and obscenities.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
More people in tactical police vests get inside the vehicle, as an angry crowd forms around it, yelling profanities.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
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According to a 2020 study in the International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, the number of profanities in songs on the Billboard Top 100 charts rose from less than 200 per year in 2009 to more than 700 per year in 2018.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
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Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.—
Larry David,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Expletives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletives. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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