as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
every week the minister would ascend the pulpit and vituperate the parishioners for a litany of vices
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vituperate
Verb
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Vinicius Jr also thrived in the Italian’s counter-attacking tactical setup, which was designed at least in part to suit his pace and direct running, and delivered the club’s two most recent Champions League trophies in 2022 and 2024.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025 -
The only thing that carries any water is making up something to attack Gretchen.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This came after Nick Saban jokingly scolded himself for not fielding Sayin during their weeks-long overlap in 2023’s postseason at Alabama.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lee will later pop in to see Dan, the storefront lawyer next door, just to insult him by requesting a recommendation for a good lawyer.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Basil, of course, is far from perfect, a rude, neurotic, accident-prone manager who insults guests, hides his gambling winnings from his wife and organizes an elaborate impersonation of her when his surprise anniversary party backfires.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Once the truck begins driving straight, the beige SUV speeds up and slams into the truck’s back-left side.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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My grandfather used to use a wooden walking stick and beat back the nettles—just savage them.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
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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
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Local and state officials criticized the immigration operation in the area Friday.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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Leipold said after a long pause, referencing fines for criticizing officiating.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
2 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Vituperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vituperate. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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