Invective

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: in=vec=tive

CIDE DICTIONARY

Invective, a. [L. invectivus: cf. F. invectif. See Inveigh.].

 Characterized by invection; critical; denunciatory; satirical; abusive; railing.  [1913 Webster]

Invective, n. [F. invective.].

 An expression which inveighs or rails against a person; a severe or violent censure or reproach; something uttered or written, intended to cast opprobrium, censure, or reproach on another; a harsh or reproachful accusation; -- followed by against, having reference to the person or thing affected; as, an invective against tyranny.  [1913 Webster]
"The world will be able to judge of his [Junius'] motives for writing such famous invectives."

Syn. -- Abuse; censure; reproach; satire; sarcasm; railing; diatribe. See Abuse.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Invective, n.
1 a strongly attacking words. b the use of these.
2 abusive rhetoric.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. LL invectivus attacking (as INVEIGH)

THESAURUS

Invective

abuse, abusive, address, after-dinner speech, allocution, assailing, assault, attack, berating, billingsgate, bitter words, blackening, blameful, calumny, causticity, censorious, chalk talk, condemnatory, contemptuous, contumelious, contumely, cynicism, damnatory, debate, declamation, denunciatory, deprecative, deprecatory, depreciative, derisive, diatribe, disparaging, eulogy, execrating, execration, execrative, execratory, exhortation, filibuster, forensic, forensic address, formal speech, funeral oration, harangue, hard words, hortatory address, inaugural, inaugural address, innuendo, inveighing, irony, jawing, jeremiad, judgmental, objurgatory, obloquy, onslaught, opprobrious, opprobrium, oration, pep talk, peroration, philippic, pitch, prepared speech, prepared text, priggish, public speech, rating, reading, recital, recitation, reproachful, reprobative, revilement, reviling, ridiculing, sales talk, salutatory, salutatory address, sarcasm, satire, satiric wit, say, scoffing, screed, scurrile, scurrility, scurrilous, set speech, speech, speechification, speeching, talk, talkathon, tirade, tongue-lashing, truculent, valediction, valedictory, valedictory address, vilification, vilifying, vituperation, vituperative

ROGET THESAURUS

Invective

Malediction

N malediction, malison, curse, imprecation, denunciation, execration, anathema, ban, proscription, excommunication, commination, thunders of the Vatican, fulmination, maranatha, aspersion, disparagement, vilification, vituperation, abuse, foul language, bad language, strong language, unparliamentary language, billingsgate, sauce, evil speaking, cursing, profane swearing, oath, foul invective, ribaldry, rude reproach, scurrility, threat, more bark than bite, invective, cursing, cursed, Int, woe to!, beshrew!, ruat coelum!, ill betide, woe betide, confusion seize!, damn!, damn it!, damn you!, damn you to hell!, go to hell!, go to blazes!, confound!, blast!, curse!, devil take!, hang!, out with!, a plague upon!, out upon!, aroynt!, honi soit!, parbleu!, delenda est Carthago.

Disapprobation

N disapprobation, disapproval, improbation, disesteem, disvaluation, displacency, odium, dislike, dispraise, discommendation, blame, censure, obloquy, detraction, disparagement, depreciation, denunciation, condemnation, ostracism, black list, animadversion, reflection, stricture, objection, exception, criticism, sardonic grin, sardonic laugh, sarcasm, insinuation, innuendo, bad compliment, poor compliment, left-handed compliment, satire, sneer, taunt, cavil, carping, censoriousness, hypercriticism, reprehension, remonstrance, expostulation, reproof, reprobation, admonition, increpation, reproach, rebuke, reprimand, castigation, jobation, lecture, curtain lecture, blow up, wigging, dressing, rating, scolding, trimming, correction, set down, rap on the knuckles, coup de bec, rebuff, slap, slap on the face, home thrust, hit, frown, scowl, black look, diatribe, jeremiad, jeremiade, tirade, philippic, clamor, outcry, hue and cry, hiss, hissing, sibilance, sibilation, catcall, execration, chiding, upbraiding, exprobation, abuse, vituperation, invective, objurgation, contumely, hard words, cutting words, bitter words, evil-speaking, bad language, personality, disapproving, scandalized, disparaging, condemnatory, damnatory, denunciatory, reproachful, abusive, objurgatory, clamorous, vituperative, defamatory, satirical, sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, dry, sharp, cutting, biting, severe, withering, trenchant, hard upon, censorious, critical, captious, carping, hypercritical, fastidious, sparing of praise, grudging praise, disapproved, chid, in bad odor, blown upon, unapproved, unblest, at a discount, exploded, weighed in the balance and found wanting, blameworthy, reprehensible, to blame, worthy of blame, answerable, uncommendable, exceptionable, not to be thought of, bad, vicious, unlamented, unbewailed, unpitied, with a wry face, reproachfully, Int, it is too bad!, it won't do, it will never do!, marry come up!, Oh!, come!, 'sdeath!, forbid it Heaven!, God forbid, Heaven forbid!, out upon, fie upon it!, away with!, tut!, O tempora!, O mores!, shame!, fie, fie for shame!, out on you!, tell it not in Gath!.

Detraction

N detraction, disparagement, depreciation, vilification, obloquy, scurrility, scandal, defamation, aspersion, traducement, slander, calumny, obtrectation, evil-speaking, backbiting, scandalum magnatum, personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade, chronique scandaleuse, roorback, sarcasm, cynicism, criticism (disapprobation), invective, envenomed tongue, spretae injuria formae, personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade, chronique scandaleuse, roorback, detractor, detracting, defamatory, detractory, derogatory, deprecatory, catty, disparaging, libelous, scurrile, scurrilous, abusive, foul- spoken, foul-tongued, foul-mouthed, slanderous, calumnious, calumniatory, sarcastic, sardonic, sarcastic, satirical, cynical, critical, damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and without sneering, teach the rest to sneer, another lie nailed to the counter, cut men's throats with whisperings, foul whisperings are abroad, soft-buzzing slander, virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes.

Accusation

N accusation, charge, imputation, slur, inculpation, exprobration, delation, crimination, incrimination, accrimination, recrimination, tu quoque argument, invective, denunciation, denouncement, libel, challenge, citation, arraignment, impeachment, appeachment, indictment, bill of indictment, true bill, lawsuit, condemnation, gravamen of a charge, head and front of one's offending, argumentum ad hominem, scandal, scandalum magnatum, accuser, prosecutor, plaintiff, relator, informer, appellant, accused, defendant, prisoner, perpetrator, panel, respondent, litigant, accusing, accusatory, accusative, imputative, denunciatory, recriminatory, criminatory, accused, suspected, under suspicion, under a cloud, under surveillance, in custody, in detention, in the lockup, in the watch house, in the house of detention, accusable, imputable, indefensible, inexcusable, unpardonable, unjustifiable, vicious, Int, look at home, tu quoque, the breath of accusation kills an innocent name, thou can'st not say I did it.