harangue
Americannoun
-
a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe.
-
a long, passionate, and vehement speech, especially one delivered before a public gathering.
-
any long, pompous speech or writing of a tediously hortatory or didactic nature; sermonizing lecture or discourse.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See speech
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
haranguesimple
-
haranguessimple
-
have haranguedperfect
-
has haranguedperfect
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am haranguingprogressive
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are haranguingprogressive
-
is haranguingprogressive
-
have been haranguingperfect progressive
-
has been haranguingperfect progressive
Past
-
haranguedsimple
-
had haranguedperfect
-
was haranguingprogressive
-
were haranguingprogressive
-
had been haranguingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of harangue
First recorded in 1530–40; (noun) from Middle French harangue. from Italian ar(r)inga “speech, oration,” noun derivative of ar(r)ingare “to speak in public,” verbal derivative of aringo “public square,” from unattested Gothic hriggs “ring” (verb) from Middle French haranguer, from Italian ar(r)ingare; see ring 1
Explanation
A harangue is more than a speech, louder than a discussion, and nastier than a lecture. It is a verbal attack that doesn't let up, delivered as a verb or received as a noun. Either way, it's pretty unpleasant. The word harangue developed its modern spelling around 1530, when the word was recorded as harangue in French. The word, meaning a strong, nasty rant, appears to have evolved from the Old Italian word aringa, probably from the word for a public square or place for public speaking. This in turn appears to have evolved from a Germanic word related to ring, as in "circular gathering," which is clearly similar to the Italian meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing harangue
Night
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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The Odyssey
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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.
See Examples For:
In 2022, a group of activists — including Mexicans and Europeans — hacked the Weltmuseum’s hand-held audio guides and inserted a fiery harangue from Gómora.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
The police arrive, and the locals harangue them for doing too little.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
In an April 21 court filing, McDonald's lawyers said mediation to settle Allen's $10 billion lawsuit has been unsuccessful, and accused Allen of trying to "harass and harangue McDonald's into an unmerited resolution."
From Reuters ● May 8, 2023
If he continues to play like he did in Game 3 - while teammate Jaylen Brown continues to harangue Harden - it could be another big day for Boston.
From Washington Times ● May 6, 2023
As C.P. continued his harangue, unaware of what was going on behind him, Ann rose to her feet and headed toward him.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
He harangues referees and reporters and doesn’t hold back when communicating with his players.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
You might remember Ahmadinejad, Iran’s hard-line former president, for the anti-American harangues he delivered at the U.N. while not wearing a tie.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
Prigozhin somewhat toned down his harangues against the military leadership after that, but remained defiant.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
It contains one sequence from a local TV programme where a young Johnson, sporting long hair, harangues a group of politicians for ruining the environment of his native Canvey Island.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2022
These threatening harangues managed to delay matters, but the Deep South lacked the votes.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
"I am not opening the store unless you leave," a manager shouted, as customers harangued her, with another member of staff telling AFP only two air conditioners had been delivered.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
When harangued by CNBC’s Joe Kernan to “reject” the winners, Jeffries replied, “Donald Trump is the president right now. Are you kidding me?”
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
He harangued the conservative navy into accepting a drive toward French Indochina and the Dutch oil fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
In July 2021, after Deputy Zachary Cotton reversed several overdoses using the opioid blocker Narcan, some deputies harangued him for saving the people who had overdosed.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2024
The boys were harangued by a man in a full beard.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
For all the justified haranguing of Pentagon weapons buying, the U.S. can still move fast when it wants to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Duell’s co-stars shared their thoughts in the Instagram comments, simultaneously congratulating and haranguing him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2024
Once “surfboard guy” finished haranguing Vance, I asked him about the more than $20,000 in unpaid debt he owed to his campaign manager.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2024
But Ackman “can’t believe this is happening” and is posting nonstop about his attempts to intimidate the publication by haranguing its parent company.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2024
On a scarlet- draped platform an orator of the Inner Party, a small lean man with disproportionately long arms and a large, bald skull over which a few lank locks straggled, was haranguing the crowd.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
