expletive

American  

[ek-spli-tiv] / ˈɛk splɪ tɪv /

noun

1. an interjectory word or expression, frequently profane; an exclamatory oath.

2. a syllable, word, or phrase serving to fill out.

3. Grammar. a word considered as regularly filling the syntactic position of another, as it in It is his duty to go, or there in There is nothing here.

---

adjective

1. Also expletory added merely to fill out a sentence or line, give emphasis, etc..

   Expletive remarks padded the speech.

expletive British  

/ ɪkˈspliːtɪv /

noun

1. an exclamation or swearword; an oath or a sound expressing an emotional reaction rather than any particular meaning

2. any syllable, word, or phrase conveying no independent meaning, esp one inserted in a line of verse for the sake of the metre

---

adjective

1. expressing no particular meaning, esp when filling out a line of verse

expletive Cultural  

1. Any exclamation or oath, especially one that is obscene or profane, as in “Dammit, I forgot to buy the milk.”

---

Discover More

The Oval Office tapes of President Richard Nixon, released during the investigation of the Watergate scandal, made famous the phrase “expletive deleted,” which appeared frequently in expurgated transcripts of the tapes.

Other Word Forms

• expletively adverb

Etymology

Origin of expletive

1600–10; < Late Latin explētīvus serving to fill out, equivalent to Latin explēt ( us ) filled, filled up (past participle of explēre; explement ) + -īvus -ive

Example Sentences

Yes, I’ve washed my husband’s feet when he couldn’t bend down, been the only parent at preschool dropoff and pickup, and advocated on Marty’s behalf to his health insurance with only a few choice expletives.

From Los Angeles Times

In April, the chief executive of RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, reacted with an expletive as he watched his company's stock tumble, in response to a major tariff announcement from the White House.

From BBC

Chabria: As someone known to routinely curse in polite society, I’m not one to judge an expletive.

From Los Angeles Times

Paraphrasing and removing the expletives, the general reaction from Rangers people was: 'Save the showboating for down south, son'.

From BBC

Eliasberg said public school teachers have strong 1st Amendment protections to share their political views online — expletives and all.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• curse