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Synonyms

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
diatribe British  
/ ˈdaɪəˌtraɪb /

noun

  1. a bitter or violent criticism or attack; denunciation

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Altman was about to launch into a diatribe about the commercials that Anthropic, the maker of ChatGPT competitor Claude, rolled out for the Super Bowl.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2026

His first brush with the law dated back to 1974 when he released his famous album "Zombie", generally considered by the military authorities in power as a diatribe levelled at them.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

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 • Dec. 29, 2025

My intense devotion to the cause of justice has led to this lengthy diatribe, and 1 feel that my Levy circle-within-a- circle is zooming upward to new successes and heights.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.