diatribe

American  

[dahy-uh-trahyb] / ˈdaɪ əˌtraɪb /

noun

1. a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism.

   repeated diatribes against the senator.

   Synonyms:

   harangue, tirade

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diatribe British  

/ ˈdaɪəˌtraɪb /

noun

1. a bitter or violent criticism or attack; denunciation

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Etymology

Origin of diatribe

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

Example Sentences

Staying close to her family in the Mediterranean city of Tartus during the Covid-19 pandemic, she sent him a voice message, playing back a piece of his diatribe that had been secretly recorded.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Green pins his diatribe on a Dublin City Council proposal to rename Herzog Park.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many attendees of local public meetings tend to drift into offensive diatribes that have little to do with the matter at hand.

From Los Angeles Times

She was famously the frenemy that fuelled Taylor Swift's diatribe Bad Blood.

From BBC

Mr. Hernández’s diatribe in The Times is yet another example of his inability to comprehend legal from illegal status.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• denunciation
• invective
• jeremiad
• screed
• tirade