oratorio

noun

or·​a·​to·​rio ˌȯr-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-ˌō 

ˌär-

plural oratorios

: a lengthy choral work usually of a religious nature consisting chiefly of recitatives, arias, and choruses without action or scenery

Examples of oratorio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The oratorio concerns the death of an old man and his journey into paradise. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Dec. 2025

This one-of-a-kind Spanish-language oratorio will be released next year. — Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025

Most come to the oratorio's biblical figures as themselves, but at least one appears incognito. — ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026

But her fourth album, Lux, adopts the sound and ambitions of a classical oratorio to mirror the modern quest for salvation, in all its thrilling and frustrating contours. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from the Oratorio di San Filippo Neri (Oratory of St. Philip Neri) in Rome

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

oratorio

noun

or·​a·​to·​rio ˌȯr-ə-ˈtōr-ē-ˌō 

ˌär-, 

-ˈtȯr-

plural oratorios

: a vocal and orchestral work usually dramatizing a religious subject without action or scenery