CEFR B2

invective

noun

Meaning

invective means an expression which inveighs or rails against a person. It can have more than one sense, so use the alternate meanings and examples to choose the meaning that matches your sentence.

Examples

Politics can raise invective to a low art.
Tom's speeches became diatribes — each more invective than the last.

Synonyms: abusive, critical, denunciatory, satirical, vitriolic

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invective (B2)

noun

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈvɛktɪv/

Definition

invective means an expression which inveighs or rails against a person. It can have more than one sense, so use the alternate meanings and examples to choose the meaning that matches your sentence.

Examples

Politics can raise invective to a low art.
Tom's speeches became diatribes — each more invective than the last.
The article uses invective to mean an expression which inveighs or rails against a person.

How to Use invective

a/the invective (noun pattern): Use an article when the noun is countable in context. — "The article mentioned a invective."
invective in context (usage pattern): Use surrounding words to choose the correct sense. — "We checked invective in context before translating it."

Synonyms of invective

Words with a similar meaning to invective:

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