Sir Winston ChurchillK. E. ReadJ. H. DonnellyTobias SmollettJay Jacobs
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In Old Italian, the verb aringare meant "to speak in public," the noun aringo referred to a public assembly, and the noun aringa referred to a public speech. Aringa was borrowed into Middle French as arenge, and it is from this form that we get our noun harangue, which made its first appearance in English in the 16th century with that same "public speech" meaning. Perhaps due to the bombastic or exasperated nature of some public speeches, the term quickly developed an added sense referring to a forceful or angry speech or piece of writing, making it a synonym of rant. By the mid-17th century, the verb harangue made it possible to harangue others with such speech or writing.
Examples of harangue in a Sentence
Steve Kopack, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2025
The Americans were prepared for a lecture from Russia’s longtime foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who is well known for his tedious harangues.
—Michael Crowley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 10 Jan. 2025
The lack of respect from China was clear starting in March 2021, when the senior Chinese foreign policy official Yang Jiechi harangued U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a meeting in Anchorage about promoting U.S. democracy.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harangue
Cite this Entry
“Harangue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harangue. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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