Vituperable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Deserving strong rebuke or condemnation for one's actions
2. Capable of being criticized harshly due to wrongdoing or moral failings
3. Subject to harsh censure or reproach because of wrongful behavior

Etymology: "Vituperable" comes from Latin "vituperabilis," the adjective built from "vituperare," meaning "to blame" or "to find fault with." That Latin verb is itself a compound of "vitium," a fault or defect, and "parare," to prepare or bring about, so the root idea is something like "to bring about a fault," or to expose someone's flaws. The English word keeps the same pattern: "-able" attached to a root meaning to censure, so a vituperable act is one that deserves that kind of reproach. The term reached English directly from Latin, and its close relative in French, "vitupérable," shows the same path into European languages. Its shared form with "vituperate" and "vituperation" means the family of words all grew from the same Latin verb, so a reader who knows "vituperative" will recognise the stem at once.

Synonyms: blameworthy, reprehensible, condemnable, censurable, scandalous

Antonyms: praiseworthy, commendable, laudable, exemplary, innocent