vituperatory

adjective

vī-ˈtü-p(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce vituperatory (audio)
Definition of vituperatorynext
as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language the kind of vituperatory speeches that are designed to rouse the rank-and-file at political conventions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vituperatory
  1. abusive
  2. outrageous
  3. insulting
  4. obscene
Adjective
  • Aggression is the norm A common misconception is that aggression needs to be physical before it’s considered abusive, but that’s not always the case.
    — Mark Travers, CNBC, 5 July 2026
  • The union did not give specific examples of abusive incidents.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of abusive
Adjective
  • These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American.
    — Jasmine Baehr , Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • Dressed in rehearsal clothes, the comedian pulls a series of exaggerated expressions, hinting at the outrageous comedy audiences can expect when the curtain rises.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 2 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
Adjective
  • Jackson then allegedly drove over into another lane and swerved at the victim, while using an obscene hand gesture.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
  • The obscene pay of CEOs, growing 20 times as fast as workers’ pay last year, and the obscene wealth in the tech world, with money cascading into the hands of greedy billionaires who lack empathy or even noblesse oblige.
    — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
Definition of obscene
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

vituperatively
vituperatory
vivacious
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vituperatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vituperatory. Accessed 8 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 gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All