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expletive
[ ek-spli-tiv ]
/ ˈɛk splɪ tɪv /
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noun
an interjectory word or expression, frequently profane; an exclamatory oath.
a syllable, word, or phrase serving to fill out.
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
Also ex·ple·to·ry [ek-spli-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]. /ˈɛk splɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/. added merely to fill out a sentence or line, give emphasis, etc.: Expletive remarks padded the speech.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of expletive
OTHER WORDS FROM expletive
ex·ple·tive·ly, adverbWords nearby expletive
explanation, explanatory, explant, explement, explementary angle, expletive, explicable, explicandum, explicans, explicate, explication
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use expletive in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for expletive
expletive
/ (ɪkˈspliːtɪv) /
noun
an exclamation or swearword; an oath or a sound expressing an emotional reaction rather than any particular meaning
any syllable, word, or phrase conveying no independent meaning, esp one inserted in a line of verse for the sake of the metre
adjective Also: expletory (ɪkˈspliːtərɪ)
expressing no particular meaning, esp when filling out a line of verse
Derived forms of expletive
expletively, adverbWord Origin for expletive
C17: from Late Latin explētīvus for filling out, from explēre, from plēre to fill
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for expletive
expletive
[ (ek-spluh-tiv) ]
Any exclamation or oath, especially one that is obscene or profane, as in “Dammit, I forgot to buy the milk.”
notes for expletive
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.