Meanings
plural invectives
- countableuncountableAn expression which inveighs or rails against a person.
- countableuncountableA severe or violent censure or reproach.
- countableuncountableSomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another.
[A] savage passage of 14th-century invective about the text-obsessed nerdiness of the Florentine bibliophile and friend of Petrarch, Niccolò Niccoli ...
2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R281 more example
And wordy attacks against slavery drew sneers from observers which were not altogether undeserved. The authors were compared to doctors who offered to a patient nothing more than invectives against the disease which consumed him.
1963, C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins, 2nd Revised edition, page 24
comparative more invective · superlative most invective
- Characterized by invection or railing.
Tom's speeches became diatribes — each more invective than the last.
Synonyms: abusive, critical, denunciatory, satirical, vitriolic, vituperative
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCharacterized by invection or railing.
More synonyms by meaning
nounabusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latininvectīvus
- Medieval Latininvectiva“abusive speech”
- Middle Frenchinvective
- Englishinvective
From Middle French invective, from Medieval Latin invectiva (“abusive speech”), from Latin invectīvus, from invectus, perfect passive participle of invehō (“bring in”), from in- + vehō (“carry”). See vehicle, and compare with inveigh.
More words from Middle French, Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian хули, ругатни
- хули (huli)something spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- ругатни (rugatni)something spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- обиден (obiden)characterized by invection or railing
- ругателен (rugatelen)characterized by invection or railing
Catalan invectiva
- invectivasomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Dutch scheldwoord
- scheldwoordsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
French invective
- invectivesomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
German Invektive
- Invektivesomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Hebrew נְאָצָה
- נְאָצָה (neatzá)something spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Hungarian szitkozódás, szitok
- szitkozódássomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- szitoksomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- szidalomsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- szidalmazássomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- kirohanássomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- gorombaságsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- gyalázkodássomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Italian invettiva, invettivo
- invettivasomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- invettivocharacterized by invection or railing
Latin convīcium, maledictum
- convīciumsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- maledictumsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- contumēliasomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Māori kaioraora
- kaioraorasomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Portuguese invectiva
- invectivasomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Spanish invectiva, improperio
- invectivasomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- improperiosomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- oprobiosomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- denuestosomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
- denostaciónsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Swedish invektiv
- invektivsomething spoken or written, intended to cast shame, disgrace, censure, or reproach on another
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with invective
Cite this entry
invective. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/invective
“invective.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/invective. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “invective,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/invective.
Source: invective on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.