Sociolinguistic Studies

noun a profane or obscene expression used to convey strong emotion or fill a sentence

adjective relating to or serving as an expletive

• The speaker was reprimanded for using an expletive during the formal event.
• She let out an expletive when she realized she had forgotten her keys.
• He dropped an expletive when he stubbed his toe.
• The artist used expletives of color to create a vibrant painting.

noun a linguistic approach that describes how language is actually used by speakers, rather than prescribing how it should be used

• Descriptivism is a linguistic theory that focuses on how language is actually used by speakers.
• Some linguists prefer descriptivism over prescriptivism because it reflects the reality of language usage.
• I'm all about that descriptivism life - language is always changing and evolving.
• In the world of language, descriptivism is like going with the flow rather than swimming against the current.