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
Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
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
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
Such invective, coming from a saboteur with firsthand experience of institutional prudishness, put DeGenevieve in a paradoxical position: that of a professor who, because she was tenured, had the luxury of deriding her own ivory tower.
—Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
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
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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Critics argue the murders were calculated acts of greed, rather than acts of desperation by abuse victims.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
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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
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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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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Trump began the meeting by mildly insulting Ramaphosa, who took it in stride.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
21 May 2025
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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
Noun
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They were quickly showered with boos and insults, along with various food items and beverages, including my mother’s large Pepsi.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2025
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Students understood the insult – and its historical sting.—
Simon Montlake,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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 29 May. 2025.
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