vituperative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vituperative
First recorded in 1720–30; vituperate + -ive
Explanation
Use the adjective vituperative to describe criticism that's so sharp it hurts. A vituperative review of a movie would make the director bitter for months. To correctly pronounce vituperative, remember that the first vowel sound is the long i sound, and the second syllable is accented: "vie-TOO-per-uh-tive." Being vituperative takes criticism to the next level. Vituperative criticism is harsh, scathing, even abusive. If a review or assessment is vituperative, it doesn't say "try harder next time." Instead it gives the sense of "go away and never come back."
Vocabulary lists containing vituperative
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "T" "U" "V" and "W"
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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.
In fact, the vituperative V12 comes with a number of downsides compared with a twin-turbo’ed V8.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Despite his vituperative outbursts and assaults in the media, the apprentice can't entirely shake that Lasso-nurtured lightness within.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2023
His asking price for reimbursement in January went up after a vituperative letter in October to the university.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 13, 2023
Whether Angela Merkel, an avid Wagner fan, is familiar with this vituperative statement is unclear, but its sentiments would hardly come as a surprise to her.
From New York Times ● Oct. 28, 2021
Where there are vituperative priority disputes, ways of resolving them must be sought.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
