1
as in condemnations
a prayer that harm will come to someone
uttered a curse upon his persecutor from the scaffold
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in swears
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression
started muttering curses after hitting his thumb with the hammer
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in threats
a source of harm or misfortune
intolerance of personal differences is a curse of humanity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in condemns
to ask a divine power to send harm or evil upon
I curse the guy who had the idea of having annoying salespeople call up innocent people to sell them things they don't want
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to
misfortunes and problems seem to have cursed everyone ever associated with that house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cusses
to use offensive or indecent language
you'll have to put a quarter in the jar every time you curse
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in blames
to use profane or obscene language at or about
cursed him for showing up late, when he knew how important it was to be on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 curses
Brittany Delay, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Indeed, various curses and slurs could be heard shouted from the audience at London's Royal Festival Hall, even during some segments broadcast to audiences in England and abroad.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
The earliest depictions of slavery were already crawling with the terrible proceedings the Gothic tends to depict, from bloody whippings to family curses to the wrathful wraiths of the slain enslaved.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Every one of his eight arms is shouting curses at every other, at itself, and at the brain inside his head.
—Mandy-Suzanne Wong, Longreads, 5 Feb. 2026
Gamers will know Brok as the beloved weapons dealer with an unrivaled artistry for creative, foul-mouthed curses.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 30 Jan. 2026
In Jujutsu Kaisen, heroic jujutsu sorcerers wage war against demonic creatures called curses and the curse users, who wield jujutsu powers for evil.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
Clio Chang, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2025
The driver curses at those outside and inside the car.
—Jason Kravarik, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
In a beat of levity that carries new weight, Geralt quietly curses afterward.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Liam Perino curses in front of his parents.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
Tens of millions of downloads deep, among discussions regarding ongoing bear curses and the quiet art of being a decent person, Drew Barrymore has asked about boogers and Jane Fonda has asked about hope.
—Brittany Delay, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
There are still deliveries of hate mail from conservative neighbors who disapprove of their lifestyle, and occasional drive-bys punctuated with curses yelled from car windows, but they’ve largely been accepted by the community.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Pay multiple people from the crafts site Etsy to perform tarot readings, lift any existing curses and otherwise engage in witchcraft.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Indeed, various curses and slurs could be heard shouted from the audience at London's Royal Festival Hall, even during some segments broadcast to audiences in England and abroad.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
The earliest depictions of slavery were already crawling with the terrible proceedings the Gothic tends to depict, from bloody whippings to family curses to the wrathful wraiths of the slain enslaved.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Every one of his eight arms is shouting curses at every other, at itself, and at the brain inside his head.
—Mandy-Suzanne Wong, Longreads, 5 Feb. 2026
Gamers will know Brok as the beloved weapons dealer with an unrivaled artistry for creative, foul-mouthed curses.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 30 Jan. 2026
In Jujutsu Kaisen, heroic jujutsu sorcerers wage war against demonic creatures called curses and the curse users, who wield jujutsu powers for evil.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
Unclear if Instagram curses are transferrable.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2025
The driver curses at those outside and inside the car.
—Jason Kravarik, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
In a beat of levity that carries new weight, Geralt quietly curses afterward.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Liam Perino curses in front of his parents.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curses
Noun
-
With a few notable exceptions, Leo kept his political remarks to the leaders largely diplomatic, using a language of encouragement and subtle messaging rather than headline-grabbing condemnations.—
NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
24 Apr. 2026
-
With a few notable exceptions, Leo kept his political remarks to the leaders largely diplomatic, using a language of encouragement and subtle messaging rather than headline-grabbing condemnations.—
Nicole Winfield,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The event finds more than 20,000 people participating in an annual bar crawl throughout the city while dressed in their best holiday attire, tackiest Santa Claus costumes, and ugliest Christmas swears.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some of the bettors, who’d put money against such a missile reaching Israel on March 10, even made death threats against him.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the push to develop local mineral value chains has taken the tone of negotiating higher equity stakes in mining projects for the government, accompanied by threats of seizures and hostile takeovers.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Olson went on to say that the Holy Father, like his predecessors, consistently condemns acts of terrorism, including those sanctioned by Iran and its surrogates in the Middle East.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Yamal condemns anti-Muslim chants Spain signed off for the World Cup on Tuesday with a 0-0 draw against Egypt.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And as a fight over the reauthorization of a key national security surveillance law plagues the lower chamber, moving forward with the DHS funding hasn't appeared to be a top priority.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The reclined riding position spreads body weight evenly, eliminating the back, neck, and wrist strain that plagues conventional cycling.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 20,
New Atlas,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In that moment, Dupree involuntarily punches him and the pair go quiet as Dooley cusses and bends over wincing in pain.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The oil industry blames California’s environmental policies for driving them out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Over a year after their podcast Plan Bri Uncut ended, LaPaglia blames Call Her Daddy’s founding father, Alex Cooper, for the nail in the coffin for her friendship with O’Malley.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After being placed in a government vehicle, Ferreira Borges allegedly kicked, flailed, and screamed obscenities at officers, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But Mulligan was worried that some of the obscenities felt too American.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curses. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
