declamation
noun
dec·la·ma·tion
ˌde-klə-'mā-shən 
plural declamations
1
: the act or an instance of declaiming : a rhetorical speech, oration, or harangue
During her declamation Eustacia held her head erect, and spoke as roughly as she could, feeling pretty secure from observation.—
Thomas Hardy
Thomas HardyFlaubert invited a small party of friends … to a private reading—or, rather, a declamation, for he liked to bray his work at the top of his lungs—that lasted for ten hours.—Judith Thurman
Judith ThurmanIacocca talks nonstop, like the salesman he is. If not for the humor and the regular flashes of common sense, his declamations would be rants.—Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen2
a
: the art or practice of rhetorical speaking or recitation as an exercise in elocution
Higher education was exclusively devoted to debate and declamation and was in the hands of a rhetor, a specialist teacher of public speaking.—Anthony Everitt
Anthony Everitt
b
: a recitation of a speech or poem in a way that demonstrates one's elocution
His moving declamation of the Rupert Brooke poem 'The Soldier' at Armistice Day celebrations on Friday … confirmed his ability to inhabit the two roles of Royal figurehead and private man.—Tom Sykes
Tom SykesExamples of declamation in a Sentence
inspired declamations about the global triumph of democracy within our lifetimes
Recent Examples on the Web
On Tuesday, March 4 at 8 p.m. the Jordan High School students will hold their declamation and oration contests.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Darcy’s singing may sometimes bring to mind the stentorian declamations of the Fall’s Mark E. Smith, but there’s also a strain of petulant hot-guy brio in his voice that a Strokes fan might recognize.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2024
Ideologues and power-mongers of many sorts, from brazen Black profiteers in Paris to frivolous white do-gooders, fill the frame with their declamations.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
But the whole show is well cast and performed, and even when the action feels overly constructed or declamatory — and there is a rash of declamation toward the season’s end — there is something or someone pleasing to latch onto.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
But don’t confuse Iggy’s rant or its wild musicality as a return to Stooges-like raucousness and institutional declamation for nostalgia.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 6 Jan. 2023
His sound world is brooding, with grimly hovering drones, enhanced by electronic effects, under heated declamation.
—New York Times, 12 July 2022
Musical declamation of the kind usual in the narrative and dialogue parts of opera and oratorio, sung in the rhythm of ordinary speech with many words on the same note: singing in recitative.
—Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2022
At the conclusion of his proud, if not defiant, presentation, a transfixed room roared in applause as Churchill was awarded the declamation prize.
—Tod Worner, National Review, 17 Oct. 2021
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Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Darcy’s singing may sometimes bring to mind the stentorian declamations of the Fall’s Mark E. Smith, but there’s also a strain of petulant hot-guy brio in his voice that a Strokes fan might recognize.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2024
Ideologues and power-mongers of many sorts, from brazen Black profiteers in Paris to frivolous white do-gooders, fill the frame with their declamations.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
But the whole show is well cast and performed, and even when the action feels overly constructed or declamatory — and there is a rash of declamation toward the season’s end — there is something or someone pleasing to latch onto.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
But don’t confuse Iggy’s rant or its wild musicality as a return to Stooges-like raucousness and institutional declamation for nostalgia.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 6 Jan. 2023
His sound world is brooding, with grimly hovering drones, enhanced by electronic effects, under heated declamation.
—New York Times, 12 July 2022
Musical declamation of the kind usual in the narrative and dialogue parts of opera and oratorio, sung in the rhythm of ordinary speech with many words on the same note: singing in recitative.
—Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2022
At the conclusion of his proud, if not defiant, presentation, a transfixed room roared in applause as Churchill was awarded the declamation prize.
—Tod Worner, National Review, 17 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Declamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/declamation. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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