diatribe

[ dahy-uh-trahyb ]

/ ˈdaɪ əˌtraɪb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diatribe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism: repeated diatribes against the senator.

Nearby words

diatomic, diatomite, diatonic, diatonicism, diatreme, diatribe, diatropism, diaz, diaz-, diazepam, diazine

Origin of diatribe

1575–85; < Latin diatriba < Greek diatribḗ pastime, study, discourse, derivative of diatríbein to rub away (dia- dia- + tríbein to rub)

SYNONYMS FOR diatribe

tirade, harangue.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diatribe ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diatribe

But his diatribe in The Hague got him just the sort of international attention he wanted.
Dutch Xenophobe Geert Wilders Echoes Goebbels’ Infamous 1943 Speech|Nadette De Visser|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What the diatribe lacked in grammatical proficiency, it made up for in drama.
Netflix Promises More ‘Arrested Development,’ Batman Prequel Coming to Fox|Culture Team|September 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Klein has now unleashed a very public Facebook diatribe against the board.
Michael Jackson Dermatologist Arnold Klein Under Investigation|Diane Dimond|December 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But every day that passes without his diatribe appearing shows he has lost out in the struggle for his homelands future.
Al Qaeda's Odd Silence on Egypt|Bruce Riedel|February 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Although Stubbes wrote with exceeding bitterness and party bias, he had some warrant for his diatribe.
A Righte Merrie Christmasse|John Ashton
This diatribe was not the first occasion on which the conqueror had proved that he was no gentleman.
The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2)|John Holland Rose
Renard did not notice my silence, however, but continued his diatribe.
A Tatter of Scarlet|S. R. Crockett
Seyd concluded a diatribe on the Mexican mozo in general while they were dressing.
The Mystery of The Barranca|Herman Whitaker
Miss Norsham paid little attention to the latter portion of this diatribe.
The Bishop's Secret|Fergus Hume

British Dictionary definitions for diatribe

diatribe

/ (ˈdaɪəˌtraɪb) /

noun

a bitter or violent criticism or attack; denunciation

Word Origin for diatribe

C16: from Latin diatriba learned debate, from Greek diatribē discourse, pastime, from diatribein to while away, from dia- + tribein to rub

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012