invective

1 of 2

noun

in·vec·tive in-ˈvek-tiv How to pronounce invective (audio)

: insulting or abusive language : vituperation

: an abusive expression or speech

invective

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse

invectively adverb

invectiveness noun

Did you know?

Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse," but by the early 16th century, it was functioning as a noun referring to a harsh verbal attack, and within a few decades, to abusive language as a whole. Invective is similar to verbal abuse, but in addition to being a more formal term than abuse, invective tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but also rhetorical skill. It sometimes also implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective."

Example Sentences

Noun a barrage of racist invective hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic Adjective an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The antisemitic invective was surely cleaned up in American press accounts.

Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 This crude invective, from a Russian politician once seen as milder and more pro-European than his master, Mr. Putin, indicated how harsh the confrontation between Russia and the West has become and how elusive peace may prove.

New York Times, 16 June 2022 As a consequence, Gadde has been subject to intense racist and misogynistic invective on Twitter and platforms like Telegram.

Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2022 Such invective, however, stands in sharp contrast to the general relief seemingly felt in Buffalo, which has recently experienced an uptick in economic investment and population after years of declining fortunes.

New York Times, 16 Apr. 2022 In a room rife with anti-Semitic invective, he is now pegged as an undesirable, someone not categorically White, which is news, sort of, to him.

Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 The message was posted anonymously on YikYak, a social media network popular on college campuses, and was part of a wave of online invective that had been building around her since the early afternoon.

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2022 Mention the commissioner to a player and invective invariably follows.

Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Apr. 2022 The defendant, Tyson Theodore Mayfield, ran up to a Black woman at a bus stop, a swastika tattoo on his abdomen showing, then launched into his racist invective.

Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022

Adjective

Critics have praised both the show and Australian actor Jason Clarke’s intense portrayal of West as a volatile man given to bursts of invective, impressive in their duration and profane inventiveness.

David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 Two Minutes Hate, with a bit of invective reserved for the mercurial Senator Kyrsten Sinema, may feel cathartic.

Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 23 Dec. 2021 His invective blends projection and wishful thinking.

Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021 The report also said board members received threatening and invective-laden emails.

Cory Shaffer, cleveland, 16 Nov. 2021 Daldry achieves latitude by balancing invective with humor in confrontations that are always honest and leveling.

Armond White, National Review, 3 Sep. 2021 The column is a strange mélange of quotes from celebrities, conservative political analysis, invective against foes real and perceived, anecdotes about the peculiarity of life in Manhattan, and aphorisms and puns.

Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Aug. 2021 Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs unleashed a torrent of invective and false claims against Democrats, never-Trump Republicans and the news media and called for the president’s supporters to protest and take every legal avenue to fight.

Steven T. Dennis, Bloomberg.com, 7 Nov. 2020 On social media, anger and invective start flowing.

Darryn King, Wired, 10 June 2020 See More

invective 1 of 2

noun

as in vituperation

harsh insulting language hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

vituperation
abuse
insult
scurrility
criticism
vitriol
fulmination
billingsgate
epithet
obloquy
blackguardism
curse
polemic
slur
imprecation
blasphemy
malediction
profanity
expletive
disparagement
tirade
vilification
diatribe
reprimand
revilement
excoriation
swearword
rebuke
belittlement
castigation
aspersion
reproof
opprobrium
harangue
chastisement
execration
put-down
bad-mouthing
broadside

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

praise
applause
acclaim
compliments
commendation
endearments
flattery
felicitations
adulation
congratulations
blarney
overpraise
soft soap

invective

2 of 2

adjective

as in abusive

marked by harsh insulting language an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants

Synonyms & Similar Words

abusive
vituperative
insulting
vitriolic
outrageous
scurrilous
offensive
obscene
opprobrious
outraging
malicious
contumelious
truculent
hateful
vituperatory
nasty
offending
vulgar
scurrile
filthy
foulmouthed
contemptuous
dirty
crude
libelous
slanderous
indecent
scurril
scornful
affronting
foul
spiteful
coarse
defamatory
intemperate
scandalous
potty-mouthed
gross
disdainful
unbridled
malevolent
libellous
maligning
vilifying
immoderate
unrestrained
traducing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

moderate
civil
temperate
respectful
deferential
courteous
polite
judicious
gracious
tempered
laudatory
discreet
encomiastic
praiseful
mannerly
laudative

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of invective are abuse, billingsgate, obloquy, and vituperation. While all these words mean "vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval," invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

blistering political invective

The synonyms abuse and invective are sometimes interchangeable, but abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

scathing verbal abuse

The meanings of billingsgate and invective largely overlap; however, billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

Although the words obloquy and invective have much in common, obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

subjected to obloquy and derision

While in some cases nearly identical to invective, vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

a torrent of vituperation

单词	invective
释义	invective 1 of 2 noun in·vec·tive in-ˈvek-tiv 1 : insulting or abusive language : vituperation 2 : an abusive expression or speech invective 2 of 2 adjective : of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse invectively adverb invectiveness noun Did you know? Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse," but by the early 16th century, it was functioning as a noun referring to a harsh verbal attack, and within a few decades, to abusive language as a whole. Invective is similar to verbal abuse, but in addition to being a more formal term than abuse, invective tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but also rhetorical skill. It sometimes also implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective." Synonyms Noun abuse billingsgate fulmination obloquy scurrility vitriol vituperation Adjective abusive contumelious opprobrious scurrile scurril scurrilous truculent vitriolic vituperative vituperatory See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun a barrage of racist invective hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic Adjective an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants Recent Examples on the Web Noun The antisemitic invective was surely cleaned up in American press accounts. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 This crude invective, from a Russian politician once seen as milder and more pro-European than his master, Mr. Putin, indicated how harsh the confrontation between Russia and the West has become and how elusive peace may prove. New York Times, 16 June 2022 As a consequence, Gadde has been subject to intense racist and misogynistic invective on Twitter and platforms like Telegram. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2022 Such invective, however, stands in sharp contrast to the general relief seemingly felt in Buffalo, which has recently experienced an uptick in economic investment and population after years of declining fortunes. New York Times, 16 Apr. 2022 In a room rife with anti-Semitic invective, he is now pegged as an undesirable, someone not categorically White, which is news, sort of, to him. Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 The message was posted anonymously on YikYak, a social media network popular on college campuses, and was part of a wave of online invective that had been building around her since the early afternoon. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2022 Mention the commissioner to a player and invective invariably follows. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Apr. 2022 The defendant, Tyson Theodore Mayfield, ran up to a Black woman at a bus stop, a swastika tattoo on his abdomen showing, then launched into his racist invective. Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022 Adjective Critics have praised both the show and Australian actor Jason Clarke’s intense portrayal of West as a volatile man given to bursts of invective, impressive in their duration and profane inventiveness. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 Two Minutes Hate, with a bit of invective reserved for the mercurial Senator Kyrsten Sinema, may feel cathartic. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 23 Dec. 2021 His invective blends projection and wishful thinking. Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021 The report also said board members received threatening and invective-laden emails. Cory Shaffer, cleveland, 16 Nov. 2021 Daldry achieves latitude by balancing invective with humor in confrontations that are always honest and leveling. Armond White, National Review, 3 Sep. 2021 The column is a strange mélange of quotes from celebrities, conservative political analysis, invective against foes real and perceived, anecdotes about the peculiarity of life in Manhattan, and aphorisms and puns. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Aug. 2021 Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs unleashed a torrent of invective and false claims against Democrats, never-Trump Republicans and the news media and called for the president’s supporters to protest and take every legal avenue to fight. Steven T. Dennis, Bloomberg.com, 7 Nov. 2020 On social media, anger and invective start flowing. Darryn King, Wired, 10 June 2020 See More Word History Etymology Adjective Middle English invectif, from Middle French, from Latin invectivus, from invectus, past participle of invehere First Known Use Noun 1523, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Adjective 15th century, in the meaning defined above invective 1 of 2 noun as in vituperation harsh insulting language hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance vituperation abuse insult scurrility criticism vitriol fulmination billingsgate epithet obloquy blackguardism curse polemic slur imprecation blasphemy malediction profanity expletive disparagement tirade vilification diatribe reprimand revilement excoriation swearword rebuke belittlement castigation aspersion reproof opprobrium harangue chastisement execration put-down bad-mouthing broadside Antonyms & Near Antonyms praise applause acclaim compliments commendation endearments flattery felicitations adulation congratulations blarney overpraise soft soap See More invective 2 of 2 adjective as in abusive marked by harsh insulting language an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants Synonyms & Similar Words abusive vituperative insulting vitriolic outrageous scurrilous offensive obscene opprobrious outraging malicious contumelious truculent hateful vituperatory nasty offending vulgar scurrile filthy foulmouthed contemptuous dirty crude libelous slanderous indecent scurril scornful affronting foul spiteful coarse defamatory intemperate scandalous potty-mouthed gross disdainful unbridled malevolent libellous maligning vilifying immoderate unrestrained traducing Antonyms & Near Antonyms moderate civil temperate respectful deferential courteous polite judicious gracious tempered laudatory discreet encomiastic praiseful mannerly laudative See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of invective are abuse, billingsgate, obloquy, and vituperation. While all these words mean "vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval," invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation. blistering political invective The synonyms abuse and invective are sometimes interchangeable, but abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language. scathing verbal abuse The meanings of billingsgate and invective largely overlap; however, billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse. directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver Although the words obloquy and invective have much in common, obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace. subjected to obloquy and derision While in some cases nearly identical to invective, vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse. a torrent of vituperation
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invective

noun

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun

adjective

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