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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The man, identified as Timothy Patrick Schulz, 42, had a long history of methamphetamine abuse and arrests, most recently being released from custody on May 20, Judd said.—
Bert Robinson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 May 2025
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The Department of Government Oversight and Efficiency has uncovered waste, fraud and abuse that is troubling, but not unexpected.—
Rita Numerof,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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Ventura Fine finally came forward in November 2023, filing a lawsuit alleging that Combs kept her locked in the abusive relationship through frequent beatings, coercion, control over her career and blackmail.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
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Combs also appeared to stew in silence as a Homeland Security Investigations special agent detailed the surplus of drugs, baby oil, and firearms seized from his Miami home and when clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes explained why victims remain in abusive relationships.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
25 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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Like Chelsea and City, PSG have been successful (dominant, in fact) domestically, teams stuffed with outrageous talent, led by some of the great coaches of the era, filling their trophy cabinets accordingly.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Nobody was outrageous or acting out or anything like that.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
27 May 2025
Noun
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So far, Trumps criticism of Powell doesn’t appear to have had any bearing on monetary policy, despite temporarily shaking the markets in late April when it was believed Trump might try to fire Powell.—
Simon Moore,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The top seeds cruised on the men’s side of the French Open and the scheduling of women’s tennis matches drew more criticism from a pair of American stars.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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Even before Trump took office, many scientists were reluctant to engage with the topic, for fear of being drawn into what has been a very public and vituperative debate.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2025
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And so, amid the noise and smoke of the culture wars, Cobb’s quaintly reactionary act intersected with vituperative Trumpian revanchism, and Cobb became a conservative TV personality.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Invective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invective. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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