diatribe

American  

[dahy-uh-trahyb] / ˈdaɪ əˌtraɪb /

noun

• diatribes
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• diatribes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diatribe

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

Explanation

It's pretty overwhelming when you ask your friend a seemingly innocuous question, like "Do you like hot dogs?" and she unleashes a diatribe about the evils of eating meat. A diatribe is an angry, critical speech. This noun has its roots in the Greek diatribē, "pastime or lecture," from diatrībein, "to waste time or wear away," combining dia-, "thoroughly," and trībein, "to rub." So the origin of the word diatribe is connected to both serious study and the spending or wasting of time. With most diatribes, the speaker thinks he's well informed and knows something the listener doesn't, while to most listeners the diatribe is so angry and unhinged that it's just a waste of time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diatribe diatribes

I remember thinking her diatribe about the injustice of Hester Prynne’s shunning would segue into the cruelties Charles faced with the goal of inspiring someone to defy the blacklist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Hardy’s mic was shut off, and he was forcibly ejected from the hearing after his comments led to a rambling diatribe.

From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026

Anyway, the part of his diatribe about congested urban areas and highbrow people is why I cited that quote, because it is an unobstructed view into his mindset.

From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2026

Smith said his comments were directed at the Pelicans’ social media team, although he did not hesitate to point out the organization’s shortcomings during his diatribe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026

And Morrison, if he hears, just thinks it’s another diatribe against smoking, but let’s face it, he doesn’t hear.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Kim, who worked on Bass’ 2022 campaign, took aim not just at Caruso but also billionaire Elon Musk, who has posted diatribes against the mayor on social media.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2025

Others, such as Shawn Michaels, say there's not much difference between the two, and WWE executive Bruce Prichard says Mr McMahon's in-ring diatribes were similar to the ones he'd deliver in the board room.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2024

Her works achieve the difficult feat of synthesizing a coma-inducing dullness with piercingly shrill extended diatribes to create reverse masterpieces worthy of the most risible North Korean propaganda.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2024

When he was questioned by the state lawyers who are suing him, he often responded with lengthy diatribes.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 10, 2023

Jacobs attended city council meetings, but only sporadically, which was a good thing, in C.P.’s view, since Jacobs’ diatribes left listeners with the impression that the man was unhinged.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• denunciation
• invective
• jeremiad
• screed
• tirade