Verbs for Negative Communication · Verbs: Verbal Action

to intentionally say or do something that disrespects or humiliates someone

"Do not insult people with rude words."

"He did not mean to insult you with his comment so please do not take it personally."

to do or say something to purposely hurt or disrespect someone

"His rude behavior affronts everyone at the party."

"His rude behavior at the dinner party affronted the hostess who had spent all day preparing the meal."

to treat someone disrespectfully by showing a lack of attention or consideration

"He felt slighted by her remark."

"She felt slighted when her friend did not invite her to the party even though everyone else in their group was invited."

to express oneself using impolite language

"Do not cuss at your teacher ever."

"The frustrated driver began to cuss loudly when another car cut him off on the busy highway."

to talk with excessive pride about one's achievements, possessions, etc. often in exaggerated manner

"Do not brag about your wealth."

"He always brags about how much money he earns which makes his friends feel uncomfortable and annoyed."

to express great pride in one's achievements, success, etc.

"The winner crows about his victory proudly."

"The winning team crowed about their victory long after the game had ended annoying their defeated opponents."

to loudly brag and exaggerate, trying to impress or intimidate others

"He gasconades about his imaginary achievements often."

"The young soldier liked to gasconade about his bravery in battle even though he had never actually seen combat."

to describe something better, larger, worse, etc. than it truly is

"Do not exaggerate the problem."

"My younger brother tends to exaggerate everything that happens to him so I never know if his stories are actually true or not."

to brag and exaggerate loudly

"He rodomontades loudly but never takes action."

"The politician's speech was full of rodomontade but lacked any concrete plans or realistic proposals for solving problems."

to exaggerate something for emphasis or to achieve a specific effect

"She hyperbolizes every minor inconvenience dramatically."

"The salesman tended to hyperbolize about the benefits of his products making claims that were simply not true."

to make something seem better than it really is by exaggerating its positive qualities

"Do not oversell your product's capabilities."

"The salesman tried to oversell the old car by hiding its mechanical problems from the buyer."

to describe something in a way that makes it seem more important or extreme than it really is

"Don't overstate the problem."

"It would be an exaggeration to overstate the impact of this minor change on the overall project's success."

to make something seem more important or noticeable by highlighting it

"He plays up his role in the project."

"The media decided to play up the minor scandal because it would attract more viewers and increase their ratings."

to talk about the private lives of others with someone, often sharing secrets or spreading untrue information

"Do not gossip about your coworkers."

"Some employees like to gossip about their coworkers which creates a negative and unproductive work environment."

to uncover and share information about any wrongdoing, corruption, etc. involving an important or famous person or business

"Journalists muckrake for political scandals."

"The investigative journalist spent months muckraking to uncover the corruption hidden within the city government."

to reveal someone's wrongdoing or misbehavior to others

"The child tattled on his older sister."

"The younger brother constantly tattles on his older sister to their mother hoping to get her in trouble for even the smallest rule violations."

to cause someone to feel disrespected, upset, etc.

"His words offend me."

"His insensitive comments about her appearance were intended to offend and hurt her feelings deeply."

to use offensive and impolite language

"He will curse loudly."

"In a fit of rage, he began to curse at the malfunctioning equipment, much to everyone's discomfort."

to use offensive or vulgar language in order to express strong emotions

"He will swear in anger."

"Frustrated by the delay, the driver began to swear loudly, drawing annoyed glances from other passengers."

to talk with excessive pride about one's achievements, abilities, etc. in order to draw the attention of others

"He boasts about his wealth constantly."

"The young man liked to boast about his accomplishments but his friends found his constant bragging annoying and tiresome."

to gossip about someone's personal life

"They will talk about her."

"It is unkind and unproductive to constantly talk about colleagues' personal lives behind their backs."