expletive C2+ Topic:Communication US /ˈɛksplɪtɪv/ UK /ɪkˈspliːtɪv/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a profane or obscene exclamation; a meaningless filler word He muttered an expletive and slammed the door. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a profane or obscene... oathcurseobscenityprofanityswearwordexclamationinterjection Word family Related forms expleteexpletory Etymology AI details From Late Latin expletivus ('serving to fill out'), from Latin explere ('to fill out'), from ex- ('out') + plere ('to fill'). expletivus Latin explere Latin plere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Communication Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # expletive **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɛksplɪtɪv/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪkˈspliːtɪv/ ## Meanings 1. a profane or obscene exclamation; a meaningless filler word ## Examples - He muttered an expletive and slammed the door. ## Synonyms - oath - curse - obscenity - profanity - swearword - exclamation - interjection ## Related Forms - explete - expletory ## Roots and Affixes - Root: expletivus - Root: explere - Root: plere ## Etymology From Late Latin expletivus ('serving to fill out'), from Latin explere ('to fill out'), from ex- ('out') + plere ('to fill'). ## AI Etymology Expletive is from Late Latin expletivus ('serving to fill out'), from Latin explere ('to fill out'), from ex- ('out') + plere ('to fill'). Important recorded forms include expletivus (Latin), explere (Latin), and plere (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers a profane or obscene exclamation; a meaningless filler word. The wider family includes related words such as explete and expletory. ## Topics - Communication - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown