expostulatory
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of expostulatory
First recorded in 1580–90; expostulate + -ory 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was evident that the men were disconcerted, and an expostulatory murmur rose from them.
From The Greater Power by Dunton, W. Herbert
Glanvill addressed an expostulatory letter to the inhuman Aristotelian, who only replied by calling it a recantation, asserting that the affair had finished with the conviction.
From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Disraeli, Isaac
At these remarks, half expostulatory and half petulant, from her worthy father, Julia would smile very quietly, telling him she was sure her young sailor was alive, and would soon be at her feet.
From Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 5 November 1848 by Various
Her letters were exposed, her expostulatory verses read at clubs and taverns, and the unhappy Sappho toasted in derision.
From Coelebs In Search of a Wife by More, Hannah
"My duty"—continued the old man, in an expostulatory tone.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 370, August 1846 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
