Thersitical

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by harsh, insulting, and vulgar language delivered with contemptuous force
2. Marked by vicious and foul-mouthed invective against another person or group
3. Given to vicious, abusive speech that is coarse and deeply offensive in nature

Etymology: Thersites is the most unlovable man in Homer's Iliad: a bandy-legged, lame, bald commoner who heckles Agamemnon, the king of the Greek army, and is beaten into silence by Odysseus. Because he speaks out of turn and mocks his social betters, his name became the source of an English adjective for railing, sneering abuse. "Thersitical" is formed directly from his name, so it is a eponymous coinage: the name of a character in an epic poem supplied the stem, and the ending "-ical" was added in the usual English way. The adjective therefore carries the whole character with it. Anyone described as thersitical is not merely rude but insolent in the way Thersites was, a low-born critic who attacks the powerful with a sharp tongue. The character's behaviour in the poem, rather than any real historical figure, is the basis of the word's meaning.

Synonyms: abusive, scurrilous, vituperative

Antonyms: respectful, courteous