Synonyms for expostulate
Definitions
- v. 1
To protest or remonstrate; to reason earnestly with a person on some impropriety of conduct [(often) with with].
Forms
- Past participle
- expostulated
e.g. expostulated → objected, protested, remonstrated, excepted…
Choose the right word
To expostulate or remonstrate with is to mingle reasoning and appeal with censure in the hope of winning one from his evil way, expostulate being the gentler, remonstrate the severer word.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- except Your composition was good except for the spelling.
- object You have chosen me as an object of your amusement.
- protest Protest takes ever more creative forms in Tatoeba.
- remonstrate I remonstrate with my boss about my performance evaluation.
- challenge Whatever the outcome, you must meet the challenge.
- kick Tom got a kick out of the way Mary told the story.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| expostulate | steady | |
| except | falling | |
| object | rising | |
| protest | steady | |
| remonstrate | steady | |
| challenge | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- kick1
- 5 letters
- argue2, demur2
- 6 letters
- except2, object2, squawk1
- 7 letters
- protest2, inveigh
- 8 letters
- complain2, dissuade2
- 9 letters
- challenge2, deprecate3
- 11 letters
- remonstrate
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (argue2 = 2 syllables).