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
The initiative text is replete with vituperative language attacking personal injury lawyers as a class.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
It led to a vituperative Senate Judiciary hearing at which senators from both parties called Ticketmaster and its corporate parent, Live Nation Entertainment, a monopoly.
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 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
Where there are vituperative priority disputes, ways of resolving them must be sought.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
