diatribe

[dahy-uh-trahyb]

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noun

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

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

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tirade, harangue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for diatribe

tirade, invective, denunciation, jeremiad, screed, philippic, castigation, objection, onslaught, abuse, disputation, stricture, vituperation, reviling

Examples from the Web for diatribe

Contemporary Examples of 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
This diatribe against the pitiful Washington Redskins summed it all up for their fans.
The Best Columns of the Year
John Avlon
December 31, 2013
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
The remark was meant as a compliment; it occurs in the midst of a diatribe against Jews for joking too much.
German Humor
David Frum
October 17, 2012
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

Historical Examples of diatribe

Jill had listened to this diatribe with a certain uneasiness.
Jill the Reckless
P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
Aileen could not help smiling at this diatribe on "the times."
Flamsted quarries
Mary E. Waller
Oh, whats the use, said Tom at length, interrupting a diatribe.
The Bungalow Boys North of Fifty-Three
Dexter J. Forrester
This diatribe he concluded thus: ‘You know we owe England nothing.’
Theodore Watts-Dunton
James Douglas
In the midst of the diatribe I stroll across to the aquarium.
Naples Past and Present
Arthur H. Norway

British Dictionary definitions for diatribe

diatribe

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

Word Origin and History for diatribe

1640s (in Latin form in English from 1580s), "discourse, critical dissertation," from French diatribe (15c.), from Latin diatriba "learned discussion," from Greek diatribe "employment, study," in Plato, "discourse," literally "a wearing away (of time)," from dia- "away" (see dia-) + tribein "to wear, rub," from PIE root *ter- "to rub, turn, twist" (see throw). Sense of "invective" is 1804, apparently from French.