Synonym Chooser

How does the verb vituperate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of vituperate are berate, rail, revile, scold, and upbraid. While all these words mean "to reproach angrily and abusively," vituperate suggests a violent reviling.

was vituperated for betraying his friends

In what contexts can berate take the place of vituperate?

While the synonyms berate and vituperate are close in meaning, berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

When is it sensible to use rail instead of vituperate?

The meanings of rail and vituperate largely overlap; however, rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

When might revile be a better fit than vituperate?

The synonyms revile and vituperate are sometimes interchangeable, but revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

Where would scold be a reasonable alternative to vituperate?

The words scold and vituperate can be used in similar contexts, but scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

When can upbraid be used instead of vituperate?

While in some cases nearly identical to vituperate, upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vituperate
Verb
  • Boone acknowledged that location will be key for Stroman, who can no longer attack hitters head-on at this stage of his career.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
  • The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Paul Krugman has referred to deficit hawks as ‘deficit scolds’, because the spend more time warning about the dangers of the deficit than fixing it.
    Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.
    Ally Goelz, The Washington Examiner, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump has repeatedly insulted Powell and called him names.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 26 June 2025
  • In particular, its retread of plot elements that had already been rehashed to death was annoying and borderline insulting at this point.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Continue reading … 'FAKE NEWS' – White House slams CNN report claiming Dems weren't briefed on Iran strike.
    , FOXNews.com, 23 June 2025
  • The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee slammed President Trump’s remarks about regime change in Tehran in the aftermath of U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
    Laura Kelly, The Hill, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Rarely has a wide release been more savaged by critics, sitting at 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes for a long time.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 June 2025
  • The show savages comedic divas, lascivious network executives, Vegas casino moguls, quirky denizens of writers’ rooms and every flavor of personal assistant imaginable.
    Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • At a time when establishing clarity of first principles has never been more urgent, UF’s law school practically dared anyone to criticize the award for whitewashing the Constitution.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2025
  • Environmental groups lobbied for the 8.3% increase versus something higher, but also criticized the water authority for not solving its problems sooner.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2025
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

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Vituperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vituperate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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!