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

The fulmination finds a ready audience: Fox News remains the most-watched cable news network and Hannity is its biggest star.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2018

All contempt and thundery fulmination, you know it, he knows it, it’s terrible.

From Slate • Nov. 2, 2016

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2016

"From Huxley's 'Lay Sermons' of 1870," says the Christian Work, "to the latest fulmination of Professor Haeckel, we have been hearing that Science was the true Messiah, the eliminator of all evil."

From Teaching the Child Patriotism by Clarke, Kate Upson