vituperate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To criticize (someone or something) in an abusive or harsh manner.
To attack (someone or something) with abusive language; to revile, to vilify.
To use abusive or harsh words.

adj

Of, characterized by, or relating to abusive or harsh criticism.
Which has been abusively or harshly criticized; also, deserving harsh criticism.

Pronunciation

/vɪˈtjuːpəɹeɪt/ /vaɪ-/ /-ˈtʃuː-/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-vituperate.wav /vəˈt(j)upəˌɹeɪt/ /vɪˈtjuːpəɹət/ /-ɹeɪt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-vituperate (adjective).wav /vəˈt(j)upəɹət/ /-ˌɹeɪt/

Word forms

vituperate vituperates vituperating vituperated more vituperate most vituperate

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ Learned borrowing from Latin vituperātus (“censured; disparaged”), perfect passive participle of vituperō (“to blame, scold, tell off; to censure; to disparage, find fault with”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from vitium (“blemish, defect, flaw, imperfection; crime, misdeed, wrongdoing; fault, error, sin; vice; disease (of plants)”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(d)wi-tyo- (“apart; wrong”), from *dwóh₁ (“two”)) + parō (“to acquire, get, obtain, procure; to arrange, order; to contrive, design; to furnish, provide; to produce; to decide, resolve”) (from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to get, procure; to produce; to bring forward; to bring forth, carry forth; to go through”)).

Synonyms

berate scold admonish animadvert bash bawl out slash lash blame scorch blast berisp castigate censure charge chastise chew out chide condemn criticize denounce denunciate deprecate derogate dispraise drag dress down eat someone alive excoriate find fault fulminate get at get down get up give somebody a piece of one's mind give somebody what-for inveigh lace into lambaste lay into lecture light into objurgate pooh-pooh put someone on blast rate read somebody the riot act rebuke reprehend reprimand reproach reprove rip into rubbish savage skewer slam slate tear into tell off

Related words

vice vicious vitiate vitiligo vituperable vituperant vituperation vituperative vituperatively vituperator vituperatory vituperious vituperous vituperously

Derived words

vituperated

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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