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obloquy

[ob-luh-kwee]
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noun, plural ob·lo·quies.
  1. censure, blame, or abusive language aimed at a person or thing, especially by numerous persons or by the general public.
  2. discredit, disgrace, or bad repute resulting from public blame, abuse, or denunciation.
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Origin of obloquy

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin obloquium contradiction, equivalent to Latin obloqu(ī) to contradict (ob- ob- + loquī to speak) + -ium -ium
Related formsob·lo·qui·al [o-bloh-kwee-uhl] /ɒˈbloʊ kwi əl/, adjective

Synonyms

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1. reproach, calumny; aspersion, revilement.

Antonyms

1. praise. 2. credit.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

criticismanimadversionignominyhumiliationaspersiondefamationinvectivecensureinsultslanderabusedisgracereproachvituperation

Examples from the Web for obloquy

Historical Examples

  • "Much they care for all the ridicule and all the obloquy you can throw on them," replied the reader.

    Sir Jasper Carew

    Charles James Lever

  • Of the obloquy he has brought upon his own country I do not speak.

  • Our prisoner, as an added mark of obloquy, was to be crucified between them.

    The Centurion's Story

    David James Burrell

  • He thought no more of him, and we were set up as a mark of every kind of obloquy.

    Perils and Captivity

    Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard

  • Why, then, has her memory been covered through centuries with scorn and obloquy?

    The Reign of Mary Tudor

    W. Llewelyn Williams.

British Dictionary definitions for obloquy

obloquy

noun plural -quies
  1. defamatory or censorious statements, esp when directed against one person
  2. disgrace brought about by public abuse
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Word Origin

C15: from Latin obloquium contradiction, from ob- against + loquī to speak
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

Word Origin and History for obloquy

n.

mid-15c., "evil speaking," from Late Latin obloquium "speaking against, contradiction," from Latin obloqui "to speak against, contradict," from ob "against" (see ob-) + loqui "to speak," from PIE *tolk(w)- "to speak" (see locution). Related: Obloquious.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper