expletive

C2+ Topic:Communication

US /ˈɛksplɪtɪv/ UK /ɪkˈspliːtɪv/ See IPA manual

noun adj

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... oath curse obscenity profanityswearwordexclamation interjection

Word family

Related forms expleteexpletory

Etymology

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

# expletive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**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

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expletive

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