as in abuse
harsh insulting language
hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of invective
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 22 July 2025
Despite the invective and hyperbole the Guild continues to inject into the process, which have included gratuitous and nasty personal attacks, the Daily News stands ready to sit down as often as necessary and as long as necessary.
—The Daily News, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025
PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
The explosion of sports betting might not be the reason for the increase in personal invective being spewed at games.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Noun
The actor also has been involved in occurrences of being verbal and physically aggressive, hurling racists invectives, as well as being out and out violent on a number of occasions.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 22 July 2025
Despite the invective and hyperbole the Guild continues to inject into the process, which have included gratuitous and nasty personal attacks, the Daily News stands ready to sit down as often as necessary and as long as necessary.
—The Daily News, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025
Adjective
The researchers forced Gemini to delete messages, spew invective at the user, steal email messages, and even use Google Home to open windows.
—PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
The explosion of sports betting might not be the reason for the increase in personal invective being spewed at games.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invective
Noun
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This franchise was once labeled the Jail Blazers for an era in the early 2000s that included transgressions of marijuana use, dogfighting, domestic abuse, fighting and drag racing.—
Jason Quick,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Separate Oklahoma court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that Rodriquez was charged in 2021 with child neglect and domestic abuse — assault and battery in the presence of a child.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As Cal, Nate's abusive father, Grey's Anatomy alum Eric Dane emerged as one of the strangest and most striking characters on Euphoria.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
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At one point during the hearing, Richards pleaded for a tissue and began crying while recalling a particularly abusive event in May.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez , Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Oct. 2024
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The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.—
Matt Motta,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
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Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With every enemy dead, the familiar sounds of the Halo universe are gone — there’s no Grunts squeaking insults or Jackals chattering in another language.—
Alyssa Mercante,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
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And the West Colonnade got its own upgrade, complete with an insult for former President Joe Biden.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This was all completely outrageous.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Including the one about Britney and the knife The most outrageous and tragic claim of the book is one that Federline says his sons told him.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cuomo told reporters that Mamdani’s criticism of Israel had made Jewish people afraid to leave their homes.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Although there seems to be a lot of fan criticism towards Aleister Black and Zelina Vega's debut entrance as a couple on SmackDown, there are also fans who appeared to be in favor of the look.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the years intervening, the poem has remained a lodestar, a contravening presence when, in present day America’s vituperative political landscape, the humanities disciplines and higher education itself has been forced to invoke and defend its own authority.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Even the company’s most vituperative detractors acknowledge its engineering genius and applaud its success in driving down launch expenses (unlike many defense contractors, SpaceX largely eats the cost of its failures).—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Invective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invective. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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