harangue

[ huh-rang ]

noun

1. a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe.
2. a long, passionate, and vehement speech, especially one delivered before a public gathering.
3. any long, pompous speech or writing of a tediously hortatory or didactic nature; sermonizing lecture or discourse.

verb (used with object)

, ha·rangued, ha·rangu·ing.

1. to address in a harangue.

verb (used without object)

, ha·rangued, ha·rangu·ing.

1. to deliver a harangue.

harangue

/ həˈræŋ /

verb

1. to address (a person or crowd) in an angry, vehement, or forcefully persuasive way

noun

1. a loud, forceful, or angry speech

Derived Forms

• haˈranguer, noun

Other Words From

• unha·rangued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of harangue¹

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; ring ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of harangue¹

C15: from Old French, from Old Italian aringa public speech, probably of Germanic origin; related to Medieval Latin harenga; see harry , ring ¹

Synonym Study

See speech

Example Sentences

In Trump’s first term, he frequently harangued the Fed and the current chair, Jerome H. Powell, whom Trump had appointed, demanding lower interest rates.

From Los Angeles Times

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

The police arrive, and the locals harangue them for doing too little.

From BBC

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

It's possible that Team Trump has bled its bled its base dry after eight-plus years of constant haranguing for money.

From Salon

Related Words

• accost
• buttonhole