SWEARING Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

swearing 1 of 2

noun

as in profanity

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swearing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of swear

as in cursing

to use offensive or indecent language no one is allowed to swear in this house

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in vowing

to make a solemn declaration of intent swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in testifying

to make a solemn declaration under oath for the purpose of establishing a fact the sworn statement of the witness was presented as evidence

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of swearing

Noun

The most common type was verbal abuse, including shouting or swearing, which 34% of retail respondents experienced. — Andrew Adam Newman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Prepare for emotion, some skin, swearing, darkness, a primal scream and lightning. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026 Mableton resident Monica Delancy attended Allen's swearing-in ceremony Tuesday evening. — Emily McLeod, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 As Haitians debated the end of Moïse’s term, the electoral timetable required for the first Senate elections to be held in October 2017, eight months after Moïse’s swearing in. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 Bastian said Rogoff had been the lawful officeholder since his swearing-in. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026 To that end, the film gets a lot of mileage out of Austin Abrams’s performance — the nerves, the bewilderment, the scrounging, the swearing. — Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026 His dad held the Bible as Blair posed with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, for a ceremonial swearing-in, a hallmark for new members of Congress. — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 His swearing-in, scheduled for January 14, 2024, was delayed for hours amid disputes in Congress over the seating of legislators and the status of Semilla. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

His swearing-in ceremony was conducted in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026 The league on Monday suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games for swearing at Arizona’s Trey McBride and referee Adrian Hill for one game for yelling and gesturing at Minnesota’s Eric Wilson. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 The league on Monday suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games for swearing at Arizona's Trey McBride and referee Adrian Hill for one game for yelling and gesturing at Minnesota's Eric Wilson. — CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 Coyotec comes up with unexpected takes on topics and sometimes has to be told to stop swearing. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter shakes hands with Purdue Northwest students after swearing them in as interns with the High Tech Crime Unit on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher went on one of his bad-boy tirades during a performance at the 1996 show by swearing, wandering the stage and making lewd gestures during his brother Noel’s guitar solo. — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026 After founding Jala in Florida five years ago, swearing it would not be a cookie-cutter Indian restaurant, Maax has decided to open a location in the KC metro. — Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 As Sportico detailed last year, McEnroe remembers MSG employees asking Oakley to leave and Oakley responding by swearing at them. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swearing

Noun

Referee Bill Vinovich said afterward that Vrabel was flagged for using profanity toward an official.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
According to disciplinary documents obtained by CBS Colorado, Olson used profanity and made derogatory comments about fellow officers, department command staff, and the department generally while discussing the Craig investigation.

— Brian Maass, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of profanity

Verb

The dispute unfolds as North Korea fortifies the already heavily armed frontier and both sides trade accusations, with diplomacy stalled and Seoul’s military vowing a firm response.

— Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
As the kid grew up in Los Angeles, shining shoes, selling newspapers, and vowing, unlike the rest of his family, to get an education, one impulse drove him on.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of vowing

Verb

One of the hardest things about the DOE’s appeals, Hull said, is the testifying that the children and spouses of dead workers must do.

— Lizz Giordano, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
Following her injury, Kennedy focused on disability rights advocacy, including testifying at the Massachusetts State House on healthcare discrimination against individuals living with disabilities.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of testifying

Noun

Or a plot to divert attention from Murphy’s blasphemy of her famously lucky number 13?

— Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
That might have sounded like blasphemy just half a decade ago, but college football is always evolving, and Swinney is a man stuck in time.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of blasphemy

Verb

But did anyone not see Seattle Storm owner Celeste Keaton cussing at kids?

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, a local store director of Nordstrom, Marco Esquivel, was caught berating and cussing at the girls, their mothers and fellow Cunningham supporters.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of cussing

Verb

Reynolds understood how to sell the new pen, too, with advertisements promising an avant-garde writing utensil, capable of enduring long stretches of writing with no need to replenish the ink.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Oct. 2026
Péter Magyar’s government is pursuing Orbán-era officials and alleged misuse of public funds, while promising that investigations will follow the rule of law.

— Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of promising

Noun

But the Rodriguez and other members of the Cuban delegation began banging the desks, calling for a point of order and shouting insults at Waltz.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
The examination showed that Parker and Smith had exchanged dozens of texts, which include obscenities and insults, in the days before Parker's disappearance.

— News Editor, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of insult

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swear in

swearing

swearing in

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Style

“Swearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swearing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of swearing

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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