What does expostulate mean?
To expostulate is to object to someone's actions or intentions by arguing earnestly and persuasively with them, usually in the hope of changing their mind. The verb implies reasoned, often prolonged protest rather than heated anger — one might expostulate with a friend about a reckless plan or expostulate against an unjust decision. Derived from Latin roots meaning 'to demand out', the word entered English in the early seventeenth century and quickly became a fixture of formal and literary prose, favoured by novelists such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens for scenes of earnest persuasion. In modern usage it retains its formal flavour and is typically paired with the preposition 'with', naming the person being appealed to, followed by the matter under dispute. Its close cousin 'remonstrate' carries much the same meaning, making both useful tools for describing civilised disagreement.
verbTo express strong disagreement or disapproval to someone, especially by reasoning or arguing earnestly and at length; to remonstrate.
- To reason earnestly with a person against something they intend or have done, expressing objection or disapproval.
"She expostulated with him for an hour about the folly of quitting his job without another offer in hand."
"His father expostulated with him over the decision to sell the family farm, but the boy's mind was made up."
"'Surely you can't mean to go through with this!' she expostulated, setting down her teacup with a clatter."
A favourite verb of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, 'expostulate' literally means to 'demand out of' — from the Latin for demanding an answer before things go too far.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of expostulate
Expostulate comes from Latin expostulare, formed from ex- ('out') and postulare ('to demand'), the same root that gives us 'postulate'. The literal sense was thus 'to demand or call out' — originally demanding an explanation or answer. It entered English in the early seventeenth century, initially meaning to demand or object, and soon settled into its modern sense of arguing earnestly in protest. The noun form 'expostulation' developed alongside it as the standard name for such an earnest argument.
Related word forms
How expostulate is actually used
Expostulate is formal and rather literary in register, appearing more often in narrative prose than everyday conversation. It is almost always followed by the preposition 'with' (the person being addressed) and 'about', 'over', or 'on' (the subject of objection). The tone it implies is earnest pleading or reasoned protest rather than anger or abuse.
Easily confused with expostulate
Extrapolate means to infer or estimate beyond known data, while expostulate means to argue earnestly against something.
Expectorate means to spit or cough up phlegm, whereas expostulate means to reason earnestly in protest.