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
  • In the hands of editor Richard Mettler, some of those fragments serve montages that interlace how the tribes prepare to defend themselves with the way Jalabzeen readies himself to attack.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Having attacked the edge of the six-yard box, Rodon has to back-pedal and meet the ball, again, wide of the goal.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.
    David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The series of tests YouTuber Cody Detwiler put Ben the humanoid through a series of tasks after insulting him and programming him to consider humans as enemies.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Patrick doesn’t waste time insulting Ellen about her relationship with Edward, never mind that, as Ellen points out, Edward’s the reason Patrick’s a free man.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • As comedians from Bill Burr to Kevin Hart were slammed for performing at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, Dave Chappelle said the Middle Eastern nation is actually more suitable for stand-up than the United States.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Reviewers of the play savaged both the director and the writer but sang Burnett’s praises.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which savaged New Orleans and much of the Gulf region, led to a push to better understand how and why these storms occur, and what agencies could do to better prepare.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Some council members have criticized the proposal, citing a lack of communication and calling the move premature.
    Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • So far, the league’s response has been not to fix the issue but, instead, to levy fines against players and coaches who criticize refs.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 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!