Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Denunciatory or abusive language; vituperation.
  • noun A denunciatory or abusive expression or discourse.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Censoriously abusive; vituperative; denunciatory.
  • noun Vehement denunciation; an utterance of violent censure or reproach; also, a railing accusation; vituperation.
  • noun Synonyms Abuse, Invective (see abuse); Satire, Pasquinade, etc. (see lampoon); philippic, objurgation, reproach, railing, diatribe.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Characterized by invection; critical; denunciatory; satirical; abusive; railing.
  • noun 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.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An expression which inveighs or rails against a person.
  • noun A severe or violent censure or reproach.
  • noun Something spoken or written, intended to cast opprobrium, censure, or reproach on another.
  • noun A harsh or reproachful accusation.
  • adjective Characterized by invection or railing.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Middle English invectif, denunciatory, from Old French, from Late Latin invectīvus, reproachful, abusive, from Latin invectus, past participle of invehī, to inveigh against; see inveigh.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin invectīvus, from invectus, perfect passive participle of invehō ("bring in"), from in + vehō ("carry"). See vehicle, and compare with inveigh.

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