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• oratory
  oratory

  noun

  skill or eloquence in public speaking.
• Oratory
  Oratory

  noun

  the religious society of secular priests ( Oratorians ) living in a community founded by St Philip Neri

oratory

¹ American  

[awr-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, or-] / ˈɔr əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈɒr- /

noun

1. skill or eloquence in public speaking.

   The evangelist moved thousands to repentance with his oratory.

   Synonyms:

   declamation, delivery, rhetoric

2. the art of public speaking, especially in a formal and eloquent manner.

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oratory ² American  

[awr-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, or-] / ˈɔr əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈɒr- /

noun

plural

oratories

1. a place of prayer, as a small chapel or a room for private devotions.

2. (initial capital letter) any of the religious societies of secular priests who live in religious communities but do not take vows.

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Oratory ¹ British  

/ -trɪ, ˈɒrətərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: Congregation of the Oratory.  the religious society of secular priests ( Oratorians ) living in a community founded by St Philip Neri

2. any church belonging to this society

   the Brompton Oratory

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oratory ² British  

/ ˈɒrətərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. the art of public speaking

2. rhetorical skill or style

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oratory ³ British  

/ -trɪ, ˈɒrətərɪ /

noun

1. a small room or secluded place, set apart for private prayer

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Other Word Forms

• oratorical
  adjective
• oratorically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of oratory¹

1580–90; < Latin ōrātōria, noun use of feminine of ōrātōrius of an orator. See orator, -tory ¹

Origin of oratory²

1300–50; Middle English < Late Latin ōrātōrium place of prayer. See orator, -tory ²

Explanation

An oratory is a long, formal speech. Often one that's a bit puffy and overblown, making you think the speaker really likes the sound of his own voice. Oratory is from the Latin word oratorius for "speaking or pleading." In fact, oratories often leave audiences pleading for an end to the speech. They're the kind of thing evangelical preachers are good at. An oratory is also a little chapel, from the Latin oratorium for "a place of prayer," or a specific group of Roman Catholics, who name their oratories after where they're built, like the Brooklyn Oratory.

Example Sentences

Last Sunday, hundreds of people attended a vigil for both teenagers at St Mary's Oratory in Buncrana which was led by the Catholic Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown.

From BBC • May 17, 2025

The London Oratory School's alumni include actor Simon Callow, trade unionist Mick Whelan, as well as the children of the former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2023

The More Oratory Reveals Only Nothingness bill to encourage legislators to sit down and listen once in a while.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2021

The Oratory of San Lorenzo on Via Immacolatella in Palermo is surrounded by a tangle of streets so narrow and twisty that I got quite close to the building without seeing it.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2020

His gift turned out to be a copy of John Quincy’s recent two-volume work, Lectures on Rhetoric and Oratory.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• eloquence
• rhetoric