scurrile

adjective

ˈskər-əl How to pronounce scurrile (audio)
variants or scurril
Definition of scurrilenext
as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language performs a scurrile comedy routine that is guaranteed to rile people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scurrile
  1. abusive
  2. outrageous
  3. insulting
Adjective
  • On one side were animal rights activists who said carriage horses are overworked, get easily spooked on city streets, live in inadequate stables and are controlled by abusive owners and drivers.
    — Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
  • The perpetrator of parental alienation can employ a variety of tactics, including when one parent tells the child that the other parent hates the child or that the other parent is abusive, Psychology Today also said.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
Definition of abusive
Adjective
  • Paint-to-sample colors and outrageous styling are certainly attention-getters.
    — Morgan Korn, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • Araki quickly points out that there is also much of himself in Wilde’s artist character and some of her most outrageous dialogue comes straight from things Araki has said in his own past interviews.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of outrageous
Adjective
  • Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
  • What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
Definition of insulting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

scurries
scurrile
scurrilities
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scurrile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scurrile. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inveigle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All