opprobriate

English

Etymology

From opprobrō (“reproach, taunt”) +‎ -ate, from ob (“against”) + probrum (“disgrace, dishonor”).

Verb

opprobriate (third-person singular simple present opprobriates, present participle opprobriating, simple past and past participle opprobriated)

1. To express opprobrium for or to view with opprobrium; to scorn.
   • 1854, Catherine Grace F. Gore, Pin money, page 196:

     It is admitted by all men endowed with that nervous susceptibility of body and soul which the ill-natured opprobriate by the name of jealousy, that nothing can be more trying to a husband afflicted with this distemperature, than to see the idol of his bosom dance, for the first time after her marriage, with another man.

   • 1967, Intramural Law Review of New York University - Volume 21, page 55:

     you, without just cause or reasonable excuse, participated in and directed a previously planned public demonstration designed to opprobriate the participation of the United States Government in the affairs of the Dominican Republic.

   • 2004, Michele Marrapodi, Shakespeare, Italy, and intertextuality, page 138:

     Shylock's famous line 'My daughter! O my ducats' (2.7.15) is frequently used to isolate and opprobriate him.

Adjective

opprobriate (comparative more opprobriate, superlative most opprobriate)

1. Expressing opprobrium; disparaging.
   • 1909, British Bee Journal - Volume 37, page 499:

     There are, no doubt, other bee-keeping nightmares of this ilk, but his term of opprobrium for honey-dew is very opprobriate.

   • 1912, Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference of Mayors of the Cities of New York State:

     I am not using these terms in an opprobriate sense, but simply as terms that are well understood among us.

   • 1875, The Cultivator & Country Gentleman, page 492:

     A woman appeared in a Canada court the other day and made complaint that another woman had called her an "opprobriate epithet."

   • 1991, Space Manufacturing - Volume 8, page 94:

     On Earth, courts have concluded that society can tolerate a high degree of provocative and opprobriate speech, to the point that only such speech which will result in riotous actions is unprotected.