as in curses
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
unleashed a slew of expletives upon losing the tennis match
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of expletives
Kennedy responded with an outburst full of expletives.
—
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
He could be heard screaming expletives immediately after the shooting.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Davidson’s expletives have dominated what should have been a terrific night for Studiocanal’s I Swear, which pulled a surprise in the shape of Robert Aramayo winning best actor over the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
Alan Cumming briefly paused Sunday's BAFTA Film Awards on two separate occasions to address the expletives and racial slur that Tourette's syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled during the telecast, according to reports.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 23 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
Cernak grabbed Tkachuk, the two shared a few expletives, and a referee blew his whistle.
—Chris Kudialis, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2026
As the match continued, the sides grew irritated with each other, resulting in Kennedy hurling expletives at the Swedish team in defense of himself and both sides argued across the ice.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
The Big 12 fined Colorado $50,000 in September after football fans directed expletives and religious slurs at Mormons during a game against the Cougars in Boulder.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
He could be heard screaming expletives immediately after the shooting.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Davidson’s expletives have dominated what should have been a terrific night for Studiocanal’s I Swear, which pulled a surprise in the shape of Robert Aramayo winning best actor over the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
Alan Cumming briefly paused Sunday's BAFTA Film Awards on two separate occasions to address the expletives and racial slur that Tourette's syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled during the telecast, according to reports.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 23 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
Cernak grabbed Tkachuk, the two shared a few expletives, and a referee blew his whistle.
—Chris Kudialis, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2026
As the match continued, the sides grew irritated with each other, resulting in Kennedy hurling expletives at the Swedish team in defense of himself and both sides argued across the ice.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
The Big 12 fined Colorado $50,000 in September after football fans directed expletives and religious slurs at Mormons during a game against the Cougars in Boulder.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expletives
Noun
-
Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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Indeed, various curses and slurs could be heard shouted from the audience at London's Royal Festival Hall, even during some segments broadcast to audiences in England and abroad.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But as the film quietly signals, a society’s obscenities are not aberrations, only parts of an ugly chapter in a long history.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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Video shows the women squeezing through the window and screaming obscenities at the people inside, while tossing food, beverages and packaging.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The sound of rubbery squeaking and a few choice profanities emerged from her bedroom.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
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The trespasser was shouting profanities and throwing water from a plastic bottle, Tahara detailed.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On that day, the mob hurled racist epithets, smoke bombs, and fists at him.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
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When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expletives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expletives. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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