INVECTIVES Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

invectives

noun

plural of invective

as in abuses

harsh insulting language hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of invectives These invectives evidently haven’t spooked Son, who once predicted that AI superintelligence would exist by 2035. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 16 July 2026 At one point, the crew shot a scene in which Whalen’s character joins a bar fight, shouting invectives at a hapless extra before pummelling him to the ground. — Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026 Riley would have invented invectives. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026 Today’s writers use it to wildly different ends, from political invectives to plainspoken diaries to surreal dreamscapes. — Patrick Dundon, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for invectives

Noun

These were abuses of state power under al-Sharaa’s authority.

— Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
The Arakan Army now controls most of Rakhine and stands accused of its own abuses against Rohingya civilians, while a junta blockade has halted food, medicine and aid, driving hunger across the territory.

— Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of abuses

Noun

He was subsequently dismissed by Dior and, months later, found guilty by a French court of making public insults based on origin, religion, race, or ethnicity.

— Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 31 Aug. 2026
The arrest came after Kelley Wolf had reportedly made a series of hostile social media posts, which featured insults and allegations against various friends and family, including her ex-husband, Wolf.

— Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of insults

Noun

Former Vice President Kamala Harris shares some of your criticisms, clearly.

— NBC news, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026
The prolific musician, actor and philanthropist, who died on Tuesday at 80 years old, always had a tongue-in-cheek response to criticisms about her larger-than-life sense of style.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of criticisms

Noun

In other cases Hoodoo was used to counter the threat of curses, as in the practice of suspending bottles from a tree to trap any malevolent spirits or witches traveling in spirit form.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
The cumulative impression of Alice that the book leaves is of someone moving serenely through life, meeting fond blessings and awful curses both with the same calm equanimity.

— Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of curses

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invective

invectives

inveigh

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“Invectives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invectives. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of invectives

noun

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