expletive
A profane, vulgar term, notably a curse or obscene oathA profane, vulgar term, notably a curse or obscene oath.
» My mother hates it when I use expletives.
Meaning
4 sensesA profane, vulgar term, notably a curse or obscene oath.
If we don't take advantage of any [expletive] in any way, then it's our loss.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
A word without meaning added to fill a syntactic position.
Expletivum, Expletiv
a word or phrase conveying no independent meaning but added to fill out a sentence or metrical line
A word that adds to the strength of a phrase without affecting its meaning (such as fucking in "there's no fucking way he's gonna get away with it").
An obscene or otherwise offensive interjection (such as shit, fuck, or damn it).
Examples
7 sentencesMy mother hates it when I use expletives.
If you attempt to use expletives in a language you do not know well, you are likely to sound ridiculous.
Do you have a list of Berber expletives?
After muttering a few Berber expletives, Yanni got up and left.
Attention! This video may contain expletives and graphic violence. Its content may offend you.
ruВнимание! Данное видео может содержать нецензурные выражения и сцены насилия. Содержимое может вызвать у вас протест. — Ooneykcall
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Late Latin explētīvus (“serving to fill out”), from Latin explētus, the perfect passiFrom Late Latin explētīvus (“serving to fill out”), from Latin explētus, the perfect passive participle of expleō (“fill out”), itself from ex (“out, completely”) + *pleō (“fill”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: expletives| Singular | expletive |
|---|---|
| Plural | expletives |
regular