vituperate

verb

vī-ˈtü-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce vituperate (audio)
Definition of vituperatenext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  1. attack
  2. scold
  3. slam
  4. insult
  5. savage
  6. criticize
Verb
  • Mobs attacked television vans and set cars ablaze as overrun hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured people.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The complication is not well understood but appears to be the result of the virus prompting the immune system to attack a certain protein that some brain cells produce.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Young kids paddled near the shallow edges and bigger kids jumped off the cliffs above the swimming hole, causing the adults to gasp and scold.
    — Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 4 Feb. 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • Trump took to social media during the big game’s second half to slam Bad Bunny.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The parents of the three Miami Yacht Club summer campers who were killed last summer when a 60-foot barge slammed into their sailboat sued the company that owns the barge, alleging negligence and irresponsible hiring.
    — Milena Malaver, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of slam
Verb
  • To do so would be rude, politically perilous, insulting to our biggest trade partner and just plain weird.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Even if their tastes differ from yours, true friends shouldn’t insult your honest self-expression.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Definition of insult
Verb
  • In a letter this week to Lassen National Forest Supervisor Rick Hopson, the supervisors noted that their stretch of California has repeatedly been savaged by wildfire.
    — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
  • For months, the two right-wing media stars had been savaging each other on their respective platforms.
    — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Definition of savage
Verb
  • Public health experts also criticized the president for making unfounded claims about highly politicized health issues.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Trump has criticized the selection of Bad Bunny, and rock band Green Day, to perform at the Super Bowl.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of criticize
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

vittles
vituperate
vituperated
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Vituperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vituperate. Accessed 15 Feb. 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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

What does 'etcetera' mean?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

The Words of the Week - Feb. 13

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?
See More

Popular

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?
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
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All