Meaning & use
splenetic
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableformalliterary
Bad-tempered and full of bitter anger or resentment.
Grammar: Used to describe a person's mood or a remark. Can be used before a noun (a splenetic outburst) or after a linking verb (he was splenetic).
Patterns
- a splenetic person
- a splenetic mood
- be splenetic about something
After losing the argument, he became splenetic and refused to speak to anyone.
Her splenetic review of the play attacked every actor personally.
The coach's splenetic outburst at the referee earned him a fine.
adjectivenot comparablearchaicmedical
Relating to the spleen or once believed to be caused by it.
Grammar: This is a historical medical sense. It is not used in modern medical English, which prefers 'splenic'.
In old medical texts, a splenetic illness was thought to come from an excess of black bile.
The physician blamed his patient's splenetic condition for the persistent melancholy.
Word forms
| comparative | more splenetic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most splenetic |
Common combinations
- splenetic rage
- He tore up the letter in a fit of splenetic rage.
- splenetic outburst
- Her splenetic outburst surprised everyone at the meeting.
- splenetic mood
- He was in a splenetic mood all morning and snapped at every question.
- splenetic attack
- The newspaper published a splenetic attack on the government's policies.
Synonyms and how they differ
- irascible
- Irascible means easily angered in general, while splenetic suggests a more bitter, resentful anger that may be directed at a specific target.
- testy
- Testy is milder and more temporary, like being irritable for a short time; splenetic is stronger and more literary.
- bilious
- Bilious can also mean bad-tempered, but it more often refers to a sick feeling or a yellowish color; splenetic is only about temper.
Opposites
Word family
- spleen noun
- The organ in the body, or (literary) a feeling of anger or spite.
- splenetically adverb
- In a bad-tempered, bitter way.
Commonly confused: splenetic or splenic?
splenetic vs splenic
Splenic means 'relating to the spleen as an organ' (e.g., splenic artery) and is a medical term. Splenetic is about a bad mood or anger, not anatomy.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'splenetic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Splenetic' means bad-tempered and bitter, so it fits a complaining letter. Option A confuses it with 'splenic' (relating to the spleen). Option C is wrong because a smile is not bitter. Option D is wrong because weather cannot be splenetic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “splenetic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.