vituperate

American  

[vahy-too-puh-reyt, -tyoo-, vi-] / vaɪˈtu pəˌreɪt, -ˈtju-, vɪ- /

verb (used with object)

vituperated, vituperating

1. to address with harsh or abusive language; revile.

   Synonyms:

   berate, vilify, censure

   Antonyms:

   commend, praise

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vituperate British  

/ vɪˈtjuːpəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to berate or rail (against) abusively; revile

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Other Word Forms

• vituperator
  noun
• unvituperated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of vituperate

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin vituperātus (past participle of vituperāre “to spoil, blame”), equivalent to vituperā(re) ( vitu-, variant stem of vitium “defect, blemish, vice” + -perāre, combining form of parāre “to furnish, provide”; see prepare) + -tus past participle suffix; see -ate ¹

Explanation

To vituperate is to speak or write in an extremely negative way about someone. Just as vituperation consists of negative, explosive, malicious outbursts, to vituperate is to communicate in this way. Negative political ads vituperate against opponents. When you insult someone and swear at them, you vituperate. People with a short temper tend to vituperate often — it's similar to railing, vilifying, and reviling. The root word is the Latin vituperationem, "blame or censuring," from vitium, "fault or defect."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vituperate vituperated vituperating

Mr. Youngkin’s comment about Mr. Vance more or less obliges him not to vituperate the vice president in the usual way of presidential primaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

They vituperate even though what she and Sanders have said is, well, true.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 20, 2017

Over the next dozen years, he would vituperate again and again against Roosevelt's seemingly mystical ability to direct the national conversation.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2011

And may I add a word of deep appreciation for the highly intelligent letter of Mr. Frank Vincent Waddy, on the subject of our vituperate critic, Cyril D. H. G. Dillington-Dowse.

From Time Magazine Archive

Epithets are weak trash for such an occasion, or I should vituperate even now the odious practice of saddling children with one's own folly or prejudice in the shape of names.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 07, No. 41, March, 1861 by Various

Nonetheless his St. Denis working class constituents have twice more re-elected him although he was opposed and vituperated by Communist candidates.

From Time Magazine Archive

We are censured on your account; the blessed memory of your uncle Calixtus is vituperated, since in the judgement of many he was wrong to have conferred so many honours upon you.

From The Life of Cesare Borgia by Rafael Sabatini

In one department the public functionaries retained their situations, in another they were disgraced and vituperated.

From Memoirs of the Private Life, Return, and Reign of Napoleon in 1815, Vol. I by Pierre Alexandre Édouard, baron Fleury de Chaboulon

I have received no account of the reception of the Address2, but see it is vituperated in the papers, which does not much embarrass an old author.

From The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals. Vol. 2 by Rowland Edmund Prothero, Baron Ernle

To Niebuhr belongs the honour of having been the first to recognise the new school at the moment when it was "despised, derided, and vituperated."

From Overbeck by J. Beavington Atkinson

The intolerable injustice of vituperating the bribed to an assembly of bribers, has goaded their sense of justice beyond endurance.

From The Letters of Charles Dickens Vol. 2, 1857-1870 by Mamie Dickens

He disappeared down the basement steps, and in another minute a harsh voice apparently vituperating him rose up, and when he rejoined his comrade his face was redder than ever.

From Delilah of the Snows by Harold Bindloss

He was in nowise comforted by the verification of his 'I told you so!' but walked to and fro from the stable, watching the remedies administered, and vituperating all youth as negligent, reckless, and hard-hearted.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2 No 4, October, 1862 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various

In 1879 I heard the Irish members in the House of Commons vituperating him after a manner that subsequently became unpleasantly familiar, but was then regarded as a gross breach of the conventions of debate.

From The Reminiscences of an Irish Land Agent by Sir Home Gordon, Bart.

Bolton was rubbing his bruises and abrasions, and vituperating everything, from the conduct of the war to the steepness of Kentucky mountains.

From The Red Acorn by John McElroy