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invective

UK/ɪnˈvɛktɪv/US/ɪnˈvɛktɪv/
nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,761 of 15,258leans writtenformal · an editor’s judgement

Other forms: invectives

Invective is violent abusive language. Not one insult — a torrent of them.

It is a mass noun, so somebody unleashes a stream of invective rather than several invectives. The word is formal and it belongs to writing about speeches, arguments and literature, where a piece of sustained attack is described as invective. It carries a hint of skill as well as anger, since invective is usually more articulate than plain swearing. The related adjective invective is rare, and abusive does the everyday work.

Definitions of invective

  1. 1nouninvectiveAbusive and violently critical language.C2

    “The article was three columns of pure invective.”

Where it comes from

Invective is carried in. Latin invehō meant to carry or bring against, from vehō, to carry, which also gives vehicle, so inveighing against somebody is driving at them.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *weǵʰ-

  2. Latin

    invectīvus

  3. Medieval Latin

    invectiva — abusive speech

  4. Middle French

    invective

  5. English, today

    invective

Built from

  • invehō · Latin — bring in
  • vehō · Latin — carry

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 31 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

invective in the wild

  • Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient.

    Hate mail

  • Libel is a verse genre primarily of the Renaissance, descended from the tradition of invective in classical Greek and Roman poetry.

    Libel (poetry)

  • Argument by invective declaration of ridiculous is invalid, while arguments involving declarations of nonsense may summarize a cogent semantic problem with lack or meaning or ambiguity.

    Ridiculous

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the vehō family

vehicle

invective — used about once every 81,824 pages · #14,761 · point at the bar for the others