Definition of obloquynext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word obloquy distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of obloquy are abuse, billingsgate, invective, and vituperation. While all these words mean "vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval," obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

subjected to obloquy and derision

When would abuse be a good substitute for obloquy?

The synonyms abuse and obloquy are sometimes interchangeable, but abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

scathing verbal abuse

In what contexts can billingsgate take the place of obloquy?

While the synonyms billingsgate and obloquy are close in meaning, billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

Where would invective be a reasonable alternative to obloquy?

The words invective and obloquy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

blistering political invective

When can vituperation be used instead of obloquy?

Although the words vituperation and obloquy have much in common, vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

a torrent of vituperation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obloquy Future problems Paxton’s ability to brush aside opprobrium and obloquy in Texas politics is nearly unrivaled. Lauren McGaughy, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023 That’s a shame, because the airline’s 11 outside directors are arguably the guiltiest of the guilty parties in the company’s recent fiasco, the most deserving of obloquy. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2023 It’s the guy in front of the bench, though, who’s taking the brunt of the obloquy for the way that whole mess ended. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 July 2021 This kind of bitter obloquy can be found in the editorial pages of many global publications. Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2021 The only freedom and independence are in learning to be equally indifferent to both praise and obloquy. Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2019 Years later, Adams wrote that his decision ‘procured me anxiety, and obloquy …. James Hohmann, Washington Post, 8 June 2018 The cross-dressing women were not often the target of obloquy or mockery. Longreads, 8 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obloquy
Noun
  • Those were the cameras that captured the guards’ abuse and neglect of Mitchell four years later.
    USA Today, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Evaluating this requires examining abuses, military aggression, humanitarian violations, sanctions, and judgments by bodies like the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.
    Ken Barnes, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • There’s no shame in making mistakes, even if the franchise has made the same mistakes for two-plus decades.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
  • The sport has come a long way since the juiced glory days of the 1990s and early 2000s, enacting frequent testing, punishment and public shame.
    Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Several leaned out of their windows to shout insults or raise middle fingers.
    Jodi Bondi Norgaard, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Left-wing social media users launched a volley of insults at 23-year-old Brooke Slusser in recent days.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That is why tanking is a disgrace, and for more than the comments from Ishbia and Anderson.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
  • His critics might say such language is a disgrace to the presidency.
    Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Noun
  • Pashinyan had led the movement to oust Moscow’s influence in Armenia; he was now saddled with the odium of losing Karabakh on his watch.
    Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
  • By making such statements with actual malice to the public and also through social media, each of the defendants knew or should have known that their comments would be widely disseminated, exposing Judge Moore to disgrace, ridicule, odium and contempt resulting in compensatory and punitive damages.
    Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com, al, 29 Nov. 2022
Noun
  • Be willing to listen to criticism.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Traders landing six-figure payouts associated with the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's supreme leader drew criticism from lawmakers in Washington and critics of the apps.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In the first act, a love potion instantly transforms contempt into adoration.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Contempt as well as praise But those efforts drew contempt as often as praise.
    Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Obloquy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obloquy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.

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