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
-
am haranguingprogressive
-
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:
For most Americans, it’s common sense: You don’t harangue your coworkers because of personal beliefs and behaviors, just because they’re different from yours.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2025
The police arrive, and the locals harangue them for doing too little.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
A second video surfaced last week in which she appears to harangue a taco vendor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
“We will not allow Red Rose Rescue to harass and harangue New Yorkers with their outrageous militant tactics.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
When he stands at the door of his hut, shouting insults at his neighbors in a loud harangue, he is city addressing another city.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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
Stephen Adly Guirgis, a New York playwright who specializes in urban pressure-cooker dramas, has a gift for writing subway strap-hanger harangues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
Prigozhin somewhat toned down his harangues against the military leadership after that, but remained defiant.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
That night they sang to keep their spirits up, and when they grew tired of harangues, discussions, and songs, they settled into little groups to get through the night as best they could.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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
“All true patriots must wake to the cry of danger,” he harangued.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
That was not the case in the stands as a significant part of the crowd harangued their own team, in response to a wild week at the club.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
The West Australian newspaper harangued England through Perth airport, called them crybabys, arrogant and cocky.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025
“Good night, sir,” I said, imagining the Colonel sneaking the Breathalyzer back into the Eagle’s house while I got harangued at Jury.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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
We meet Leonardo as a nosebleed-suffering, dreamy-eyed Palermo teen with a haranguing mom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025
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.
