as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
a scurrilous satire on the scandal that enveloped Washington
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Recent Examples of scurrilous
One upshot was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which to this day insulates social media from legal liability for the content — however incendiary or scurrilous — that users post.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
Facts won’t deter Republicans on this point, however, for the same reason that Trump and his running mate, J. D. Vance, keep repeating their scurrilous lies about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of Ohio: white anxiety about a diversifying country has become one of the Party’s greatest assets.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2024
And Harriman was certainly subject to gossip, some of it scurrilous and sexist.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
Lee is obsessed with this for a reason that’s scurrilous but also kind of tragic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scurrilous
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
Facts won’t deter Republicans on this point, however, for the same reason that Trump and his running mate, J. D. Vance, keep repeating their scurrilous lies about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of Ohio: white anxiety about a diversifying country has become one of the Party’s greatest assets.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2024
And Harriman was certainly subject to gossip, some of it scurrilous and sexist.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
Lee is obsessed with this for a reason that’s scurrilous but also kind of tragic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scurrilous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scurrilous
Adjective
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Samuel Dunham, 12, said he was adopted from an abusive family.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
11 July 2025
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The administration has cited a need to counter China’s abusive trade practices, but this is undermined by the 25 percent tariff on Japanese goods.—
The Editors,
National Review,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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The film series' latest installment — Madea's Destination Wedding — premiered on Netflix on July 11 and has proven to be one of the franchise's most outrageous chapters yet.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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Insult to injury, large change orders provided again without explanation to a firm with direct political connection to the city administration — outrageous!—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni is insulting because a macaroni was a pejorative term used to describe a fashionable man with feminine traits of 18th-century Britain.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
2 July 2025
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Conversations revealed an ongoing dialogue that was not only deeply insulting to Read, but morally offensive to women broadly.—
Gemma Allen,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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The use of obscene or profane language, personal attack, libel, slander, defamation, physical violence or the threat thereof, as determined by the presiding officer, shall constitute a disturbing a lawful meeting.—
Sharon Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
3 July 2025
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Meanwhile, the Astors, who had amassed a nearly obscene amount of real estate in New York City, became the country’s first multimillionaires by smuggling opium.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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On Wednesday, the President faced a barrage of ominous developments that might have fazed another leader—a worrisome jobs report, losses in federal court related to four of his signature policies, an increasingly vituperative public breakup with Elon Musk.—
Susan B. Glasser,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
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Even before Trump took office, many scientists were reluctant to engage with the topic, for fear of being drawn into what has been a very public and vituperative debate.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scurrilous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scurrilous. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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