Obloquy

Word of the Day for Thursday April 14, 2005

obloquy \OB-luh-kwee\, noun:
1. Strongly condemnatory or abusive language or utterance.
2. The condition of disgrace suffered as a result of public
blame, abuse, or condemnation; ill repute.

There he remained, weeping indignantly at her stream of
obloquy, bitterly ashamed of his tears, until it was time
for supper.
--Jonathan Keates, [1]Stendhal

Once installed in office he earned near-universal obloquy
by pushing through the biggest tax increase in the state's
history.
--Dan Seligman, "The Taxophiliacs," [2]Forbes, February 5,
2001

For Britain to have made a last imperial stand on the
shores of the South China Sea would have risked local
calamity and international obloquy.
--Christopher Patten, East and West
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Obloquy derives from Latin obloqui, "to speak against," from
ob-, "against" + loqui, "to speak."
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