diatribe

noun

di·​a·​tribe ˈdī-ə-ˌtrīb 

1

: a bitter and abusive speech or piece of writing

2

: ironic or satirical criticism

3

archaic : a prolonged discourse

Did you know?

History of Diatribe

In modern times, a diatribe is not something most of us want to endure:

Our manager privately subjected a few of us to a lengthy diatribe about how terrible the company's new policy is.

I'd prefer a reasoned argument to the diatribes that typically litter the newspaper's editorial page.

That wasn't true in the word's early days, though.

When English speakers adopted diatribe in the late 16th century, they were glancing back at the ancients. The word comes from Greek diatribē, meaning "pastime" or "discourse," by way of Latin diatriba. The English word first referred to the popular lectures of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, the usual topic of which was ethics.

When the word diatribe referred to written work in this context, that work was understood to be either a transcription of such a lecture, or a written development of one. According to some, these oral and written diatribes were the model on which modern sermons were built.

Over time, this very specific meaning of diatribe developed a more general meaning that didn't require the ancients themselves: any prolonged discourse—written or oral—could be considered a diatribe. That sense of the word, however, is now archaic; you don't typically find it in modern contexts.

When diatribe is used today, the connotation is quite different. The word most often refers to a bitter or abusive speech or piece of writing, as in the examples given above.

Synonyms

• harangue
• jeremiad
• philippic
• rant
• tirade

Examples of diatribe in a Sentence

… his apparent inability to keep his pen from drifting from the main objective of his words into diatribe must have taken away from the sound and otherwise convincing arguments that he advanced. —Henry Petroski, Engineers of Dreams, 1995

I looked … and listened to her ahistorical and apolitical diatribe. Her comments were a more extreme form of the kind of Black bashing I've often heard … —Itabari Njeri, "Sushi and Grits," in Lure and Loathing,  1993

… gradually I realize the headman's diatribe has begun to feature a new term I was unfamiliar with at the time—the word for caterpillar, as it turns out, in the Iban dialect. —T. Coraghessan Boyle, Harper's, April 1993

The article is a diatribe against mainstream media.

a bitter diatribe about how unfair the tax system is

Recent Examples on the Web

Authorities previously said he was fueled by white nationalist ideas and had posted a diatribe against immigrants before launching his attack targeting Hispanics and armed with a rifle. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 25 Sep. 2023

Some buildings are diatribes, a person trying to prove a point, and some say very little at all, but the most interesting ones are conversations: between past and present, comfort and utility, privacy and community and, most important, the building itself and its residents. —Alice Newell-Hanson, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023

But Galliano’s career imploded after videos emerged of him in 2010 and 2011 speaking admiringly of Adolf Hitler and launching into an antisemitic and racist diatribe, shocking the patrons of a Parisian cafe. —Brent Lang, Variety, 2 Sep. 2023

But, in recent years, the more radical perspective that characterized his diatribes about Covid has come to the fore. —Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023

For most towns, the bitter diatribe of a man several thousands of miles away would have made no dent at all. —David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Aug. 2023

As for Baumbach: His usual sour diatribes about gender, class, and ethnic identity erupt in the film’s girl-dolls-vs.-boy-dolls subplot. —Armond White, National Review, 19 July 2023

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts gave his last State of the City address as leader of Michigan's third-largest city Thursday — a blend of personal Festivus, diatribe against the current City Council and plethora of political endorsements. —Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 23 June 2023

Their words of reproach continued to trickle in after Rubiales’ diatribe on Friday. —Joseph Wilson, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Latin diatriba, from Greek diatribē pastime, discourse, from diatribein to spend (time), wear away, from dia- + tribein to rub — more at throw entry 1

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

diatribe

noun

di·​a·​tribe ˈdī-ə-ˌtrīb 

: a bitter or angry attack in speech or writing