accusatory

[uh-kyoo-zuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

adjective

1. containing an accusation; accusing.

   an accusatory look.

Other Word Forms

• self-accusatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of accusatory¹

1595–1605; < Latin accūsātōrius, equivalent to accūsā ( re ) to accuse + -tōrius -tory ¹

Example Sentences

Her greatest moment may be the spoken, but her accusatory horror at gun violence is something that takes a powerful opera singer to turn into a sermon from which it is impossible to turn away.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Lately, as we've gone into a nativist, nationalist phase, these trade deals have become more defensive and accusatory," he explains.

Read more on BBC

After being rejected, Venessa, also then in her mid-twenties, sent Jay a series of "angry and accusatory" messages, saying he was gossiping about her.

Read more on BBC

His comments about former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis were muddled, angry and accusatory, including references to “auto pens” and cognitive tests.

Read more on Salon

Rubio, like most in the Trump administration, uses hyperbolic and accusatory language towards his victims, calling them "lunatics."

Read more on Salon

When To Use

What does accusatory mean?

Accusatory is used to describe things that contain or suggest an accusation—a claim that someone is guilty of a crime or offense.An accusatory statement is usually one that directly claims that someone did something wrong. When someone says something in an accusatory tone, it suggests that they are accusing someone of something—even if the statement doesn’t contain a direct accusation.The similar word accusatorial can be used interchangeably to mean implying blame, but it’s more commonly applied to people to imply they are making an accusation, as in I don’t mean to be accusatorial—I was just making an observation. Example: Every one of your comments has been accusatory—how am I not supposed to think you’re blaming me?