Synonym Chooser

How is the word obloquy distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of obloquy are abuse, billingsgate, invective, and vituperation. While all these words mean "vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval," obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

subjected to obloquy and derision

When would abuse be a good substitute for obloquy?

The synonyms abuse and obloquy are sometimes interchangeable, but abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

scathing verbal abuse

In what contexts can billingsgate take the place of obloquy?

While the synonyms billingsgate and obloquy are close in meaning, billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

Where would invective be a reasonable alternative to obloquy?

The words invective and obloquy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

blistering political invective

When can vituperation be used instead of obloquy?

Although the words vituperation and obloquy have much in common, vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

a torrent of vituperation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obloquy Future problems Paxton’s ability to brush aside opprobrium and obloquy in Texas politics is nearly unrivaled. Lauren McGaughy, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023 That’s a shame, because the airline’s 11 outside directors are arguably the guiltiest of the guilty parties in the company’s recent fiasco, the most deserving of obloquy. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2023 It’s the guy in front of the bench, though, who’s taking the brunt of the obloquy for the way that whole mess ended. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 July 2021 This kind of bitter obloquy can be found in the editorial pages of many global publications. Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2021 The only freedom and independence are in learning to be equally indifferent to both praise and obloquy. Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2019 Years later, Adams wrote that his decision ‘procured me anxiety, and obloquy …. James Hohmann, Washington Post, 8 June 2018 Years later, Adams wrote that his decision ‘procured me anxiety, and obloquy …. James Hohmann, Washington Post, 8 June 2018 The cross-dressing women were not often the target of obloquy or mockery. Longreads, 8 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obloquy
Noun
  • Christy Corcoran, a nearby homeowner who took part in the camp cleanup, said the animal abuse is a sign of the bad actors who can swarm to large homeless camps.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 July 2025
  • The investigation is being led by Sanghavi Law Office, a firm specializing in historical abuse cases.
    Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • That is a shame, as many website builders these days offer image editors.
    Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 July 2025
  • The woman immediately puts her hands over her eyes in apparent shame and turns away, while the man quickly drops down to get out of the camera’s view.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 July 2025
Noun
  • And the gratuitous insults—to NATO allies, the European Union, the BRICs, the United Nations, or the World Health Organization—continue to flow from the president.
    MARGARET MACMILLAN, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
  • The Steals and Deals segment on the WFTV newscasts are annoying and an insult to the viewers!
    Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • The Australian media called them a disgrace and embarrassment.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
  • Deemed dangerous to national security by MI5, Mosley and his wife spent three years interned in prison before moving abroad in disgrace.
    Rosemary Counter, Time, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
  • The politicization of the COVID response has only worsened this trend, likely resulting in part from Trump’s vituperation.
    Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Pashinyan had led the movement to oust Moscow’s influence in Armenia; he was now saddled with the odium of losing Karabakh on his watch.
    Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
  • Pashinyan had led the movement to oust Moscow’s influence in Armenia; he was now saddled with the odium of losing Karabakh on his watch.
    Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • But the colloquial use of the term has prompted criticism from some.
    Rebecca Schneid, Time, 20 July 2025
  • In 2024, a girl in Madison, Wisconsin, participated in the event with her mother, provoking severe criticism particularly from Wisconsin Republican politicians who tried to ban the event this year.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • Officials arrested the 55-year-old on Saturday after a Missouri judge held her in contempt of court for dodging court orders regarding $224,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs owed to PETA.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2025
  • The series of photos — and a follow-up Valentine's Day post — were not well-received by Arroyo, who told PEOPLE that Rossi and Smiley barely saw Grayson and all there have been eight contempt of court orders over the years.
    Kayla Grant, People.com, 18 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Obloquy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obloquy. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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