Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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adj
Of, characterized by, or relating to abusive or harsh criticism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Which has been abusively or harshly criticized; also, deserving harsh criticism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To criticize (someone or something) in an abusive or harsh manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
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, threap, tick off, tosh, keelhaul, upbraid, vilify, vituperate
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To attack (someone or something) with abusive language; to revile, to vilify.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: abuse, call names, vitriol, flame, name-call, revile, vituperate
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To use abusive or harsh words.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: call names, flame, rail, abuse, name-call, revile, vitriol, vituperate
Antonyms: none provided
verb
spread negative information about
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: vilify, revile, rail
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shout
History
Learned borrowing from Latin vituperātus (“censured; disparaged”), see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
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”)).
Across languages
43 source translations are retained for this English entry.
