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
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Squabbling coaches — Tindall had put his fingers to his lips to hush Unai Emery after Duran’s departure, earning invective in response — added to the sense of renaissance.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Brooke Crothers, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Congolese leaders have a tendency for invective and to blame all their ills on Rwanda.
—Jason K. Stearns, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Noun
Yet some of us in the audience, disgusted by the persistence of Nazism and anti-immigrant invective in the present, may well appreciate the force of McQueen’s rhetoric.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Squabbling coaches — Tindall had put his fingers to his lips to hush Unai Emery after Duran’s departure, earning invective in response — added to the sense of renaissance.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
The other sticky reality is that the vast majority of prospective CT buyers don’t pay attention to fringe media invective but make very practical buying decisions rooted in dollars and cents.
—Brooke Crothers, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Congolese leaders have a tendency for invective and to blame all their ills on Rwanda.
—Jason K. Stearns, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invective
Noun
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When these systems break under the stress of abuse, neglect, or general incompetence, bad things happen.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2025
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Since joining the Miami Herald in 1999, he’s covered the federal courts nonstop, from Elian Gonzalez’s custody battle to Alex Rodriguez’s steroid abuse.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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While there may be unhealthy behaviors from both partners involved in an abusive relationship, one person tends to have more control than the other.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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The complaint also alleged that Combs could be physically abusive to her, once stomping on her face and forcing her to hide in a hotel room for a week until her bruises healed.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Adjective
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The idea that women need to be properly taught how to conceive a child through a government program is a particularly insulting proposal, says Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
22 Apr. 2025
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But in March, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Wash., ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.—
Mark Sherman,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
People hurled insults as the police started taking down the barricades.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
7 May 2025
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Sarandos, playing a cheeky version of himself, delivers a sharp line about contractual award show shout-outs before signing off with an insult.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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MrBeast has garnered a massive fanbase through his videos featuring outrageous stunts and big-money giveaways.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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Betty, Bob, and Thorgy are all hugely committed and funny, wearing bold New Wave patterns and outrageous hair.—
Barry Levitt,
Vulture,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Also rejected was a proposal soliciting a report on warehouse working conditions, a perennial source of criticism of the company.—
Greg Bensinger,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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The previous reports that the Department of Justice was investigating UnitedHealth for Medicare fraud brought criticism of the company, with its stock falling by 17% last Thursday.—
Morgan Kromer,
The Washington Examiner,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Unlike Rhoades, a vituperative colossus, however, Williams brings a steely determination and a Joe Friday, just-the-facts mien to his lawyering in the court of public opinion.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2024
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This dynamic has grown most acute between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose tit-for-tat exchange is growing ever more vituperative and violent.—
Kenneth M. Pollack,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Feb. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Invective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invective. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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