'Expletive' definitions:
Definition of 'expletive'
(from WordNet)
Definition of 'Expletive'
From: GCIDE
- Expletive \Ex"ple*tive\, a. [L. expletivus, from expletus, p. p. of explere to fill up; ex out+plere to fill, akin to plenus full: cf. F. expl['e]tif. See Full.] Filling up; hence, added merely for the purpose of filling up; superfluous. "Expletive imagery." --Hallam. [1913 Webster]
- Expletive phrases to plump his speech. --Barrow. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Expletive'
From: GCIDE
- Expletive \Ex"ple*tive\, n. A word, letter, or syllable not necessary to the sense, but inserted to fill a vacancy; an oath. [1913 Webster]
- While explectives their feeble aid to join, And ten low words oft creep in one dull line. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'expletive'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- battology,
- bedizenment,
- blurt,
- curse,
- cuss,
- cuss word,
- de trop,
- dirty name,
- dirty word,
- dispensable,
- duplication,
- duplication of effort,
- dysphemism,
- ecphonesis,
- ejaculation,
- embellishment,
- epithet,
- excess,
- exclamation,
- expendable,
- extravagance,
- fat,
- featherbedding,
- filler,
- filling,
- foul invective,
- frill,
- frills,
- frippery,
- gingerbread,
- gratuitous,
- in excess,
- iterative,
- luxury,
- macrology,
- naughty word,
- needless,
- needlessness,
- no-no,
- nonessential,
- oath,
- obscenity,
- ornamentation,
- outburst,
- overadornment,
- overlap,
- padding,
- payroll padding,
- pleonasm,
- pleonastic,
- profane oath,
- prolix,
- prolixity,
- redundance,
- redundancy,
- redundant,
- reiterative,
- repetitious,
- spare,
- stammering,
- stuttering,
- supererogatory,
- superfluity,
- superfluous,
- superfluousness,
- swear,
- swearword,
- tautologic,
- tautological,
- tautologism,
- tautologous,
- tautology,
- to spare,
- uncalled-for,
- unessential,
- unnecessariness,
- unnecessary,
- unneeded,
- verbose,
- verbosity,
- wordy