1
as in speech
the art of speaking in public eloquently and effectively
a presidential hopeful with a gift for oratory and a highly charismatic personality
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2
as in rhetoric
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
the politician's oratory sounded good only to people who didn't bother to think
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oratory
King’s ability to take ideas from White preachers’ bland sermons and convert them to stirring oratory was part of his genius, Miller says.
—
John Blake, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
Despite his alliance with the Populists and his soaring oratory, Bryan was defeated by the Republican candidate, William McKinley.
—David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
James Garfield, played by the always intense Michael Shannon, brings his intensity to Garfield's public oratory.
—David Bianculli, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
President Barack Obama was the last Democrat on the national stage who managed to project awe, with his commanding oratory and charismatic presence.
—Washington Post, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for oratory
John Blake, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
Despite his alliance with the Populists and his soaring oratory, Bryan was defeated by the Republican candidate, William McKinley.
—David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
James Garfield, played by the always intense Michael Shannon, brings his intensity to Garfield's public oratory.
—David Bianculli, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
President Barack Obama was the last Democrat on the national stage who managed to project awe, with his commanding oratory and charismatic presence.
—Washington Post, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for oratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oratory
Noun
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Those include ConversationRelay, which aims to generate human-like speech that connects to large-language models like ChatGPT, as well as a product called Conversational Intelligence.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
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Mario Lopez takes the podium for a speech at the Boys and Girls Club of America event in Las Vegas on April 7.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Framed as a platform for addressing inequality, climate change and the rise of right-wing political movements, yet the rhetoric coming from it has raised questions in Washington and across the region about whether a more coordinated political counterweight to the United States is taking shape.—
Armando Regil Velasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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People have been called pedants since the early modern period—pedante is a fifteenth-century Italian coinage for a professional teacher of Latin literature and rhetoric—but have been acting pedantically for millennia.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Players understanding the play calls filtered through his thick Southern elocution.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
28 July 2025
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The delightful elocution of their dry-as-martini witticisms (dialect coach Nancy Carlin) adds to the joys of this period piece.—
Karen D'Souza,
The Mercury News,
25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Prior customer service and public speaking experience preferred.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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Summitt implored her to take a public speaking course.—
Rebecca Shore Winn,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oratory. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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