Imprecation
noun /ˌɪm.prɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ — A spoken curse or calling down of evil upon someone.
Definition
A spoken curse; the act of calling down evil, disaster, or divine punishment upon a person. Imprecation is formal cursing — not a moment of spontaneous anger but a deliberate, often ritualized, invocation of harm.
Beyond the definition
Imprecations belong to a world where words were believed to have direct causal power — where the right curse, spoken correctly, could actually bring harm. The remnant of that belief lives in the seriousness with which some people still take curses.
Origin & history
From Latin 'imprecatio' (calling down of evil); from 'imprecari' (to call down evil upon); from 'in-' (upon) + 'precari' (to pray). To pray evil upon someone — prayer inverted.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The old woman's imprecations followed them down the road — colorful, specific, and entirely sincere.
Biblical psalms contain imprecatory passages — prayers calling divine punishment on enemies — that theologians have spent centuries explaining.
His imprecation against the developer who tore down the neighborhood was articulate and comprehensive and completely without effect.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Imprecation” when the meaning fits your context: A spoken curse; the act of calling down evil, disaster, or divine punishment upon a person. Imprecation is formal cursing — not a moment of spontaneous anger but a deliberate, often ritualized, invocation of harm.
Synonyms
curse, malediction, execration
Antonyms
blessing, benediction
Related words
Imprecation vs malediction
Imprecation is a specific calling down of evil upon another. Malediction is a more formal or literary synonym often used in dramatic contexts to describe a spoken curse.
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Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Ritualized Confrontation
A figure stands before a complex maze with an imposing guardian figure at its entrance.
The formal, deliberate nature of the encounter at the maze entrance reflects the ritualized structure of an imprecation. It is not a spontaneous shout but a structured, serious invocation intended to manifest an undesirable outcome.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Imprecation" mean?
Imprecation is noun meaning: A spoken curse or calling down of evil upon someone.. A spoken curse; the act of calling down evil, disaster, or divine punishment upon a person. Imprecation is formal cursing — not a moment of spontaneous anger but a deliberate, often ritualized, invocation of harm.
Where does the word "Imprecation" come from?
From Latin 'imprecatio' (calling down of evil); from 'imprecari' (to call down evil upon); from 'in-' (upon) + 'precari' (to pray). To pray evil upon someone — prayer inverted.