as in abuse
harsh insulting language
hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of invective
Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
Yet some of us in the audience, disgusted by the persistence of Nazism and anti-immigrant invective in the present, may well appreciate the force of McQueen’s rhetoric.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Kerry Howley, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Congolese leaders have a tendency for invective and to blame all their ills on Rwanda.
—Jason K. Stearns, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Noun
Such invective, coming from a saboteur with firsthand experience of institutional prudishness, put DeGenevieve in a paradoxical position: that of a professor who, because she was tenured, had the luxury of deriding her own ivory tower.
—Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
Yet some of us in the audience, disgusted by the persistence of Nazism and anti-immigrant invective in the present, may well appreciate the force of McQueen’s rhetoric.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Photo: YouTube Cummings is known as a roast comic, an artist of invective.
—Kerry Howley, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Congolese leaders have a tendency for invective and to blame all their ills on Rwanda.
—Jason K. Stearns, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for invective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invective
Noun
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The incident became public after the Department of Homeland Security released a copy of her 2021 restraining order petition citing multiple incidents of abuse.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
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At the top Plus Extended tier, Bitdefender watches for abuse of your SSN, reports unauthorized change of address events, and scans court records.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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But like any powerful tool, healing language can also be misused, especially by those with manipulative or abusive tendencies.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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The slashing of the benefits of medical care, food and other assistance to low-income families in this bill goes so far beyond even the most exaggerated claim of fraud, waste and abuse as to be cynically and sadistically abusive.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2025
Noun
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The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.—
Matt Motta,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2024
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Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The state legislature just passed the most insulting budget and laws this state has ever seen.—
Michelle Jefferson,
Baltimore Sun,
4 June 2025
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Despite the decision falling in line with White House policy, Rep. Nancy Pelosi – whose San Francisco district includes the Castro – said erasing Milk from the military is particularly insulting.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The president and the governor are having a momentous fight about constitutional rights in the courts, and flaming each other with insults and photoshopped memes on Truth Social and X. The ICE raids have thrown some Angelenos into a state of fear and virtual hiding.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
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The two men had a very public falling out in early June, which unfolded in a series of insults and allegations on social media.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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The concept is both simple and outrageous — an interview done while guests eat a series of chicken wings of increasing spice levels, often with disorienting discomfort — and the show has become a popular sensation and an essential stop on the modern celebrity promotional tour.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
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Yet as outrageous as this bait and switch was, the trash fee scheme is also awful for many other reasons.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 June 2025
Noun
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When the new Tesla Model 3 came out at the end of 2023 (which the company claims isn’t called Highland despite everyone else calling it that), its lack of an indicator stalk (like the Model S Plaid) garnered criticism.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
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The decision comes after months of criticism for punishing a woman fencer who refused to fence a trans opponent, which included scrutiny from federal lawmakers at a congressional hearing in early May.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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On Wednesday, the President faced a barrage of ominous developments that might have fazed another leader—a worrisome jobs report, losses in federal court related to four of his signature policies, an increasingly vituperative public breakup with Elon Musk.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
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Even before Trump took office, many scientists were reluctant to engage with the topic, for fear of being drawn into what has been a very public and vituperative debate.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Invective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invective. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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