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

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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. insult
  4. slam
  5. savage
  6. criticize
Verb
  • Diddy's alleged reaction to public release of his attack on Cassie Ventura Jane's testimony gave the jury insight into how Diddy reacted when surveillance footage of the rapper attacking Cassie Ventura went public in May 2024.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2025
  • When Iran attacked Israel in 2024 with a barrage of over 300 missiles and drones, around 99% were successfully stopped.
    — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Definition of attack
Verb
  • After the period, the TNT crew scolded Luostarinen for not keeping his stick on the ice.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 June 2025
  • The estranged wife of actor Scott Wolf was seemingly detained by law enforcement during an Instagram livestream, during which she can be heard scolding officers and alleging she was abused.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025
Definition of scold
Verb
  • The violence broke out over a video of a man, alleged to be Druze, insulting the prophet Muhammad.
    — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2025
  • To many watching, Elon Musk’s decision to publicly insult President Trump seemed self-destructive, if not outright irrational.
    — Joel Shulman, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Definition of insult
Verb
  • But, in the end, Berg’s life became proof of a darker truth, one that is newly relevant in the Trump era: doors that swing open can also slam shut.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
  • Footage showed the missile carried six warheads which slammed into different targets close to one another in Dnipro.
    — Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Definition of slam
Verb
  • The show savages comedic divas, lascivious network executives, Vegas casino moguls, quirky denizens of writers’ rooms and every flavor of personal assistant imaginable.
    — Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • This one — initially propelled by anger at Trump and the Republicans’ approach to health care and gun violence — savages Trump nightly, leading the president to make calls to Disney in 2018, urging it to rein him in.
    — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2025
Definition of savage
Verb
  • Several Make America Great Again (MAGA) figures, such as Laura Loomer, are criticizing Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over his ties to the suspect in Saturday's deadly shooting.
    — Mandy Taheri Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
  • Following the opening match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta between Canada and Argentina, Argentina’s players and head coach Lionel Scaloni criticized the playing surface.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 14 June 2025
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
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Cite this Entry

“Vituperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vituperate. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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