Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A long angry or violent speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature; a diatribe.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A long-drawn passage in speech or writing; an uninterrupted sequence of expression or declamation on a single theme, as in poetry, the drama, or conversation.
- n. In specific English use, a long vehement speech; an outpour of vituperation or censure.
- n. In music, a diatonic run or slide inserted between two tones that are separated by a considerable interval, producing a kind of portamento effect.
Wiktionary
- n. A long, angry or violent speech; a diatribe
- n. A section of verse concerning a single theme; a laisse
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A declamatory strain or flight of censure or abuse; a rambling invective; an oration or harangue abounding in censorious and bitter language.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a speech of violent denunciation
Etymologies
- French, from Old French, act of firing, from tirer, to draw out, endure, probably back-formation from martirant, present participle of martirer, to torture (influenced by mar, to one's misfortune, and tiranz, executioner, tyrant), from martir, martyr, from Late Latin martyr; see martyr.
Examples
“WORDS ACCENTED ON THE LAST SYLLABLE: address _address'_ adept _adept'_ adult _adult'_ ally _ally'_ commandant _commandänt '(ä as in arm) _ contour _contour'_ dessert _dessert'_ dilate _dilate'_ excise _eksiz'_ finance _finance'_ grimace _grimace'_ importune _importune'_ occult _occult'_ pretence _pretence'_ research _research'_ robust _robust'_ romance _romance'_ tirade _tirade'_”
“Zimbabwe by threatening what it called a tirade of bad publicity over Blair's departure.”
“Can't Post | Private Reply ncferret, The basic problem with your lengthy tirade is that an FM-3 IS a resident visa.”
“While Christian Bale's recent F-Bomb tirade is making headlines, Wired lists The Top 10 Celebrity Rants Caught on Tape, a listt hat includes ...”
“But what it's really amazing at is taking today's news and remixing it while it's still today's news — like, oh, let's say, the f-bomb-tastic Christian Bale tirade from the set of "Terminator: Salvation" that has been lighting things up over the past 24 hours.”
You Can Now Dance To The Sound Of Christian Bale’s Fury » MTV Movies Blog
“Silva blasted the leaders in the northern hemisphere in a name calling tirade at the sparsely attended summit of Amazon nations before Copenhagen.”
“Because if they started winning right away -- right after the latest Steinbrenner tirade, that is -- it would only convince "The Boss" that he was responsible for the turnaround and deserved all the credit for it, no matter the actual cause.”
The Huffington Post: Rick Horowitz: Steinbrenner: By George, He Was a Pain!
“Forty years ago Dr. Laura could have gone on her N-word tirade with no one batting an eye.”
The Huffington Post: Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto: Race Baiting Rumblings
“Oh, and Michael Richard's n-word tirade is a little different than Robert Duvall's simply being a Republican.”
Poll: As Conventions Approach, Dems Trouncing GOP In Image, Party I.D.
“Open in September, calling the tirade, quote, "a major offense", grand slam officials threatened to bar Williams from future U.S.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘tirade’.
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3/4 year Vocab List
garbled, verbose, behoove, runt, douse, stipulate, condolence, incongruous, mundane, euphemism, brusque, labyrinth and 96 more...
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3/4 year Vocab List
lackluster, reprimand, loathe, abhor, willful, ample, tremulous, ominous, subtle, rescind, redundant, pretentious and 96 more...
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The weird, the wonderful and the plain hilarious
Loved for their ingenuity, an exact description, or simply for the pure joy of it.
acidulous, aprosdoketon, higgledy-piggledy, lexicographical, ninja, audacious, somnabulist, shivaree, amorphous, quidnunc, glib, melancholy and 353 more...
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Censure (n.)
aspersion, calumny, contumely, diatribe, obloquy, opprobrium, philippic, tirade, vilipendency, tantalization, admonition, beration and 23 more...
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Spring 2012
Words encountered while reading for school
Prolagus *hands umbrage* Mar 29, 2011
bilby You can tip it over the coach at the end of the game, kevo, especially if he's homosexual. Mar 29, 2011
yarb You're doing great, kevo! Mar 29, 2011
kevo God! What horrible word!! I can't believe they even put such preposterous nonsense in the dictionary at all!! Who do they think they are, spreading their loathsome propaganda across the internet?!?!?
(am i doing it right?) Mar 29, 2011
sonofgroucho A bit like a rant, I think. Oct 8, 2007