harangue

[huh-rang]

noun

1. a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe.

2. a long, passionate, and vehement speech, especially one delivered before a public gathering.

3. any long, pompous speech or writing of a tediously hortatory or didactic nature; sermonizing lecture or discourse.

verb (used with object)

harangued, haranguing 

1. to address in a harangue.

verb (used without object)

harangued, haranguing 

1. to deliver a harangue.

harangue

/ həˈræŋ /

verb

1. to address (a person or crowd) in an angry, vehement, or forcefully persuasive way

noun

1. a loud, forceful, or angry speech

Other Word Forms

• unharangued adjective
• haranguer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of harangue¹

First recorded in 1530–40; (noun) from Middle French harangue. from Italian ar(r)inga “speech, oration,” noun derivative of ar(r)ingare “to speak in public,” verbal derivative of aringo “public square,” from unattested Gothic hriggs “ring” (verb) from Middle French haranguer, from Italian ar(r)ingare; ring ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of harangue¹

C15: from Old French, from Old Italian aringa public speech, probably of Germanic origin; related to Medieval Latin harenga; see _harry , _ring ¹

Synonym Study

See speech

Example Sentences

Former First Lady Jill Biden treated Harris poorly, haranguing her about loyalty.

Read more on Salon

She re-creates the spectacle of the 1787 convention in Philadelphia, the ceaseless harangues between North and South, bringing to life these visionaries — white, affluent men, many drama queens — as they laid out an unprecedented polity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Was Deen really an early victim of the fictitious celebrity boogeyman now known as “cancel culture,” or was she appropriately harangued?

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He harangued Zelensky at a dramatic White House meeting in February, and later temporarily suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with the war-torn nation.

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For most Americans, it’s common sense: You don’t harangue your coworkers because of personal beliefs and behaviors, just because they’re different from yours.

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Related Words

• diatribe 
• discourse 
• jeremiad 
• oration 
• screed 
• spiel 
• tirade