fulmination

American  

[fuhl-muh-ney-shuhn] / ˌfʌl məˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a violent denunciation or censure.

   a sermon that was one long fulmination.

2. violent explosion.

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Etymology

Origin of fulmination

1495–1505; < Latin fulminātiōn- (stem of fulminātiō ) a thundering, fuming. See fulminate, -ion

Explanation

A fulmination is some kind of explosion — either an actual explosion, like a firework, or an explosive expression of anger, like your angry fulminations in reaction to your brother spilling chocolate milk all over your science project. The fulminations of an angry mob rushing the gates of the castle don't sound quite the same as the fulminations of an academic disagreement in a political science class, but they both express dissatisfaction, disagreement, or anger. The word fulmination, which usually appears in its plural form, comes from the Latin fulminare "to hurl lightning," and its Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine, flash, or burn."

Example Sentences

When the dial isn’t tuned to high fulmination, Roy is easier and more moving to read.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 12, 2019

That she goes out and gets one without fuss and fulmination seems somehow revolutionary, only because of the many times broadcast TV has managed to steer way clear of the subject altogether.

From Washington Post • Mar. 14, 2019

In response to the news, the following musical fulmination took root.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2016

The grimmest tales, the fodder for outrage and fulmination, were debunked.

From Slate • Dec. 19, 2012

It is plain that such names as those of Aristotle, Dante, Dryden, Joshua Reynolds, Sainte-Beuve and Matthew Arnold are not to be thus swept by a reckless fulmination.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6 "Coucy-le-Château" to "Crocodile" by Various