tirade

[ tahy-reyd, tahy-reyd ]

/ ˈtaɪ reɪd, taɪˈreɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tirade ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a prolonged outburst of bitter, outspoken denunciation: a tirade against smoking.

a long, vehement speech: a tirade in the Senate.

a passage dealing with a single theme or idea, as in poetry: the stately tirades of Corneille.

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Origin of tirade

1795–1805; < French: literally, a stretch, (continuous) pulling < Italian tirata, noun use of feminine of tirato, past participle of tirare to draw, pull, fire (a shot), of obscure origin

SYNONYMS FOR tirade

2. harangue, diatribe.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tirade ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tirade

In December, he unleashed a tirade against them, saying they had “lost all credibility.”
Tea Party Takes on Boehner|Patricia Murphy|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Turned into a hashtag in a late-night Twitter tirade, “Do What U Want,” then, is not just a good pop song.
Lady Gaga and R. Kelly’s ‘Do What U Want’ Is Pure Pop Heaven|Kevin Fallon|October 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Twitter tirade ended when Schwyzer said he was giving his laptop to his family and staying offline.
Porn Professor Hugo Schwyzer Comes Clean About His Twitter Meltdown and Life as a Fraud|Richard Abowitz|August 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bynes responded to the insinuations—that she was not well or not being her authentic self—with a tirade.
My Search for Amanda Bynes … and Why I’m Calling It Off|Kevin Fallon|May 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

This is not a tirade against divorce or against the working mother.
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories|Harry Siegel|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He even encouraged Myrtella in her tirade against him, spurring her on to fresh effort, as the monks of old!
A Romance of Billy-Goat Hill|Alice Hegan Rice
A pasquil on the Commander in Chief, or a tirade against the Government, was sure to be eagerly read and warmly approved of.
Russia|Donald Mackenzie Wallace
Was he preparing to burst into a tirade of ridicule, or was he really considering the proposition?
Paul and the Printing Press|Sara Ware Bassett
The first of the 53 letters with which Prince Korasoff had presented him commenced with a tirade on this sentiment.
The Red and the Black|Stendhal
Only ten minutes ago he had uttered a tirade before the cage of a monkey which seemed unhappy.
Saint's Progress|John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for tirade

tirade

/ (taɪˈreɪd) /

noun

a long angry speech or denunciation

prosody rare a speech or passage dealing with a single theme

Word Origin for tirade

C19: from French, literally: a pulling, from Italian tirata, from tirare to pull, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tirade

tirade

1801, "a 'volley of words,' " from French tirade "speech, volley, shot, continuation, drawing out" (16c.), from tirer "draw out, endure, suffer," or the French word is perhaps from cognate Italian tirata "a volley," from past participle of tirare "to draw." The whole Romanic word group is of uncertain origin; some think it is a shortening of the source of Old French martirer "endure martyrdom" (see martyr).