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expostulation

[ ik-spos-chuh-ley-shuh n ]

/ ɪkˌspɒs tʃəˈleɪ ʃən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR expostulation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of expostulating; remonstrance; earnest and kindly protest: In spite of my expostulations, he insisted on driving me home.

an expostulatory remark or address.

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bailiwick

a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.

place or source of origin.

a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.

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Origin of expostulation

1580–90; < Latin expostulātiōn- (stem of expostulātiō) complaint. See expostulate, -ion

Words nearby expostulation

exposition, expositor, expository, exposome, expostulate, expostulation, expostulatory, exposure, exposure dose, exposure index, exposure keratitis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for expostulation

There are thousands for whom a blow is a better thing than expostulation, persuasion, or any sort of kindness.
A Rough Shaking|George MacDonald
The first, a very wild and plaintive air, was the expostulation of a girl whose lover has deserted her and married another.
At Home And Abroad|Margaret Fuller Ossoli
If now and then he overheard a word of expostulation, he never interpreted it rightly.
Pembroke|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
There is no need for your being over anxious about my expostulation.
Letters of John Calvin, Volume I (of 4)|Jules Bonnet

She was so firm and fixed in this that he did not even dare to go on with his expostulation.
John Caldigate|Anthony Trollope

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