fulmination
Americannoun
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a violent denunciation or censure.
a sermon that was one long fulmination.
-
violent explosion.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the dial isn’t tuned to high fulmination, Roy is easier and more moving to read.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 12, 2019
Could a vulgar public fulmination against a grotesquely wealthy individual reflect adversely on a lawyer?
From Slate ● May 18, 2018
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
In response to the news, the following musical fulmination took root.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2016
This new fulmination had been prepared in a caucus of forty members of the slave-holding party, and was long and carefully framed.
From John Quincy Adams American Statesmen Series by Morse, John T. (John Torrey)
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.
