harangue 1 of 2

noun

hə-ˈraŋ How to pronounce harangue (audio)
Definition of haranguenext
1
as in diatribe
a long angry speech or scolding launched into a long harangue about poor customer service without realizing that I wasn't even an employee!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in speech
a usually formal discourse delivered to an audience the dictator's lengthy harangue before a captive audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

harangue

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to speak
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject the eminent professor harangued for three hours on his favorite subject, the clash of East and West

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to discourse
to talk as if giving an important and formal speech a talk-show guest using the interviewer's questions as an opportunity to harangue on a variety of pet peeves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harangue
Noun
Stephen Adly Guirgis, a New York playwright who specializes in urban pressure-cooker dramas, has a gift for writing subway strap-hanger harangues. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026 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
Verb
After haranguing the receptionist, he was eventually granted a 15-minute audience with Fujita, who advised his teenage devotee to focus on future technologies like computers. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026 There are, unfortunately, far too many examples of women who marry high-profile figures only to be harangued for expressing anything other than gratitude and graciousness. — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for harangue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harangue
  1. diatribe
  2. speech
  3. speak
  4. discourse
  5. attack
  6. lecture
  7. declaim
  8. tirade
Noun
  • Design After endless diatribes about the quirky lines of Ferrari’s all-electric Luce, the marque’s enthusiasts will find that the Amalfi Spider’s long-hood, raked-screen, and open-top lines are comfortingly familiar and unquestionably gorgeous.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Thank you, Kat Timpf, for speaking up against Greg Gutfeld’s hateful, pointless and incorrect diatribe about cats and the people who give them a home.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of diatribe
Noun
  • Clippable moments from his campaign speeches have repeatedly taken off on social media platforms and garnered millions of views.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Following his speech, council members struggled to restore order as some of Lang's supporters began shouting, and one was escorted out by police.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of speech
Verb
  • Verstappen was speaking during the second of three preseason F1 tests, before the championship’s first campaign with new cars that were overhauled to the greatest extent ever compared to their predecessors.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Investigators were speaking with witnesses and reviewing security and surveillance video from the surrounding area.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of speak
Verb
  • Specifically, the majority of debate and discourse around the CLARITY Act centers around not only the ability of stablecoin issues to provide yield and yield adjacent products, but how these institutions should be regulated.
    — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • This lucidity not only makes his work readable but also staves off the perception that discourse about UFOs and the CIA must be riddled with conspiratorial paranoia.
    — Louis Bury, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
Definition of discourse
Noun
  • Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia this year, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones targeting military industries and energy facilities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Weeks of Iranian drone and missile attacks on the UAE earlier this year, the vast majority of which were intercepted, sparked tensions among locals and hammered the country's tourism and aviation industry.
    — Jenni Reid,Emma Graham, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Those experiences deepen understanding in ways that lectures and memorization alone rarely can.
    — Lisa Schade, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • None of that made it into the discussion before Wilder lectured the girls about how to think.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of lecture
Verb
  • And the conversations between Anna and Molly, Ella and Julia (Ella’s friend and a counterpart of Molly), as well as the stammering and declaiming when Anna talks to herself, are almost always about men.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Woody Harrelson declaims every line, upping the relentless factor of Phil’s mania.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026
Definition of declaim
Noun
  • Ananberg-Poma posted on Instagram the night of the attack, remaining defiant despite Montes’ tirade.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Her scrolled embroideries have since been described as tirades, rants, and screeds—no horses or cables, just the language pummeling the eye.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of tirade

Browse Nearby Words

hara-kiris
harangue
harangued
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Harangue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harangue. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on harangue

Nglish: Translation of harangue for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All