Meanings
comparative more accusatory · superlative most accusatory
- Pertaining to, or containing, an accusation.First known use the early 17th c.
This conclusion will certainly be strengthened by reading the accusatory speech composed by Deinarchus […]
1846-1856, George Grote, A History of Greece1 more example
Had she heard the same Bob Dylan singing “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” his accusatory song about the fatal caning of a 51-year-old black barmaid by a young white patrician, “The Help” might have ventured outside its harsh yet still comfortable, reader-friendly world.
2009 February 18, Janet Maslin, “Racial Insults and Quiet Bravery in 1960s Mississippi”, in The New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecontaining or expressing accusation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Italic*kaussā
- Old Latincaussa
- Latincausa
- Latinaccūsō
- Latinaccūsātor
- Latinaccūsātōrius
- Middle Frenchaccusatorie
- Latinaccūsātōrius
- Middle Englishaccusatorie
- Englishaccusatory
From Middle English accusatorie, from Middle French accusatorie and its etymon Latin accūsātōrius. By surface analysis, accuse + -atory.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian обвинителен, обвиняващ
- обвинителен (obvinitelen)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- обвиняващ (obvinjavašt)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Catalan acusatori
- acusatoripertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Chinese Mandarin 指責型 /指责型, 非難的 /非难的
- 指責型 /指责型 (zhǐzéxíng)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- 非難的 /非难的 (fēinàn de)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- 指控的 (zhǐkòng de)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Czech žalující, obviňující
- žalujícípertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- obviňujícípertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- vyčítavýpertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Dutch beschuldigend
- beschuldigendpertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Esperanto kulpiga, akuza
- kulpigapertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- akuzapertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Finnish syyttävä
- syyttäväpertaining to, or containing, an accusation
French accusateur
- accusateurpertaining to, or containing, an accusation
German anklagend, anklägerisch
- anklagendpertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- anklägerischpertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Greek κατηγορητικός
- κατηγορητικός (katigoritikós)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Hungarian vádló, vádoló
- vádlópertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- vádolópertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Italian accusatorio
- accusatoriopertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Japanese 非難の, 批難の
- 非難の (hinan no)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- 批難の (hinan no)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Latin accūsātōrius, crīminōsus
- accūsātōriuspertaining to, or containing, an accusation
- crīminōsuspertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Portuguese acusatório
- acusatóriopertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Romanian acuzatoriu
- acuzatoriupertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Russian обвини́тельный
- обвини́тельный (obvinítelʹnyj)pertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Spanish acusatorio
- acusatoriopertaining to, or containing, an accusation
Cite this entry
accusatory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/accusatory
“accusatory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/accusatory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “accusatory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/accusatory.
Source: accusatory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.