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Verbs of Verbal Action - Verbs for Negative Communication

Here you will learn some English verbs referring to negative communication such as "offend", "brag", and "gossip".

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Categorized English Verbs of Verbal Action
to offend
to offend
[Verb]

to cause someone to feel disrespected, upset, etc.

Ex: His dismissive remarks about her achievements offended her and sparked resentment. 
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to insult
to insult
[Verb]

to intentionally say or do something that disrespects or humiliates someone

Ex: He didn't appreciate the sarcastic tone and felt she was trying to insult his intelligence. 
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to affront

to do or say something to purposely hurt or disrespect someone

Ex: Ignoring her at the party was a deliberate attempt to affront her. 
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to slight
to slight
[Verb]

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

Ex: Being consistently overlooked for promotions began to feel like a deliberate attempt to slight him in the workplace. 
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to curse
to curse
[Verb]

to use offensive and impolite language

Ex: Frustrated with the situation, he started to curse loudly, venting his anger. 
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to swear
to swear
[Verb]

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

Ex: Frustrated with the situation, he began to swear loudly, expressing his discontent. 
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to cuss
to cuss
[Verb]

to express oneself using impolite language

Ex: In the middle of the chaotic kitchen, the frustrated chef began to cuss while trying to salvage the burning dish. 
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to boast
to boast
[Verb]

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

Ex: During the interview, the candidate couldn't help but boast about their extensive experience and impressive track record 
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to brag
to brag
[Verb]

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

Ex: Unable to contain his excitement, he began to brag about the promotion he received at work. 
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to crow
to crow
[Verb]

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

Ex: After winning the championship, he couldn't help but crow about the team's victory for days. 
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to gasconade

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

Ex: In the meeting, he couldn't resist gasconading about his sales achievements, making his colleagues roll their eyes. 
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to exaggerate

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

Ex: She tends to exaggerate her accomplishments on her resume to make herself stand out. 
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to rodomontade

to brag and exaggerate loudly

Ex: In his stories, he tends to rodomontade about his achievements, making them sound more impressive than they are. 
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to hyperbolize

to exaggerate something for emphasis or to achieve a specific effect

Ex: During the fishing trip, he tended to hyperbolize the size of the fish he caught, turning a regular catch into a legendary tale. 
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to oversell

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

Ex: The restaurant's menu tended to oversell the uniqueness of its dishes, disappointing some customers when the reality didn't match the description. 
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to overstate

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

Ex: The job applicant was cautioned not to overstate their experience on the resume. 
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to play up

to make something seem more important or noticeable by highlighting it

Ex: She decided to play up her strengths during the interview. 
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to gossip
to gossip
[Verb]

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

Ex: During lunch, the coworkers gossiped about a colleague's sudden resignation, speculating about the reasons behind it. 
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to talk
to talk
[Verb]

to gossip about someone's personal life

Ex: If you go out with him, you'll have the whole town talking. 
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to muckrake

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

Ex: The investigative journalist decided to muckrake and expose the financial mismanagement within a well-known corporation. 
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to tattle
to tattle
[Verb]

to reveal someone's wrongdoing or misbehavior to others

Ex: In the office, a colleague couldn't resist tattling to the supervisor about a minor mistake made by a coworker. 
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