Meanings
comparative more opprobrious · superlative most opprobrious
- Causing opprobrium; offensive and shameful.
"Don’t speak of my painting before Naumann," said Will. "He will tell you, it is all pfuscherei, which is his most opprobrious word!"
1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XXII, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book II, page 3891 more example
KLAUS: You're so much nicer than the other one. He was a complete asshole! REGINALD: Such opprobrious language for your father! KLAUS: Yeah, I… I don't know what that means.
2022, “Marigold”, in The Umbrella Academy, season 3, episode 6
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveexpressing offensive reproach
adjective(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinopprobriōsus
- Middle Frenchopprobrieux
- Middle Englishopprobrious
- Englishopprobrious
From Middle English opprobrious, from Middle French opprobrieux and its etymon Late Latin opprobriōsus.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
opprobrious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opprobrious
“opprobrious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opprobrious. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “opprobrious,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opprobrious.
Source: opprobrious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.