tirade

[tahy-reyd, tahy-reyd]

noun

1. a prolonged outburst of bitter, outspoken denunciation.

   a tirade against smoking.

2. a long, vehement speech.

   a tirade in the Senate.

   Synonyms: diatribe, harangue

3. a passage dealing with a single theme or idea, as in poetry.

   the stately tirades of Corneille.

tirade

/ taɪˈreɪd /

noun

1. a long angry speech or denunciation

2. rare,  prosody a speech or passage dealing with a single theme

Word History and Origins

Origin of tirade¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tirade¹

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

Example Sentences

His social media content includes mockery of the European Parliament, tirades against corruption and a video of him travelling on a jet ski to plant a Spanish flag on an islet off Morocco.

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Her gripes with the network and the other TV personalities segued into a tirade against the left, which she said “understands everything in a way different than myself.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Gutfeld cursed on air, demeaned the loss of life from another assassination earlier this year and cited information that was incorrect to back his tirade.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Critics accuse the Lebanese government of being submissive to Washington — with Barrack’s tirade adding to their arguments.

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But the president still was not finished with his bigoted tirade.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• denunciation 
• diatribe 
• harangue 
• invective 
• ranting www.thesaurus.com
• screed 
• sermon