scurrilous
10
9.9
- adjective
- /ˈskɜrɪləs/
- Offensive
:
calumnioso
- The video's charges were so scurrilous—it accused Clinton of being a drug addict and of engineering murders—that even some conservatives condemned it.
Fraternities delighted in and got away with drunken, degrading, dangerous behaviors and scurrilous verbal assaults on women's students.
- Fraternities delighted in and got away with drunken, degrading, dangerous behaviors and scurrilous verbal assaults on women's students.
- It's one of the most scurrilous companies in the world, led by the most scurrilous CEO in the world, this guy Albert Borla.
- And that's where these CI guys ended up is E Howard Hunt, who was a scurrilous guy, and James McCord, who was.
- Well, it has to do with the other scurrilous claim I made earlier, which was that memory is not really about the past.
Examples
-
He said things about you that are scurrilous.
-
Your Honors, this scurrilous accusation is nothing but lies.
-
Your editorial is a scurrilous personal attack upon me, my race, my father's name.
-
These charges are scurrilous and baseless.
-
Marie-Antoinette was the target of similar but far more scurrilous accusations.
Academic text (2011) -
Can you substantiate this, or is it just scurrilous and libelous raving?
Blog text (14) -
Republicans made their barbs personal when they attacked Pinckney's religious views and moral behavior in a scurrilous campaign whose calumny matched the venom, if not the volume, of that leveled at Jefferson's.
Academic text (1997) -
The article contained a scurrilous attack against the politician, aiming to tarnish his reputation.
-
She was shocked by the scurrilous remarks made about her in the comments section of the blog.
-
His scurrilous behavior in public led many to question his character and motivations.
Synonyms
70
4.9
Using insulting words or hurtful behavior toward another person
39
6.9
Expressing an insulting, disrespectful view of someone or something
19
7.7
Very strong, harsh criticism that hurts or shocks people
15
8.2
Showing strong dislike of someone or something, often used about words
1
9.9
Making people feel ashamed in public with strong criticism
Very insulting and likely to deeply offend people
Saying harsh, mean things that hurt people
Showing strong hate and trying to hurt someone
Being arrogantly rude and openly disrespectful to other people
Antonyms
How Offensive
11
7.3
- Offensive
10
9.9
- Offensive
10
9.3
- Offensive
261
4.0
594
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
scurrilous = scurril + ous
Although the suffix '-ous' is productive, the base 'scurril-' is not a standalone English word and comes from Latin, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
Scurrilous comes from the old Latin word scurra, which meant 'buffoon' or 'rude joker'. So scurrilous first described a jester's rude, mocking talk and now means language that is rude or abusive and meant to hurt someone's reputation.