1
as in lecturing
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
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2
as in speaking
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
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Recent Examples of haranguing
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.
—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Tuesday’s report is likely to be viewed favorably by the president, who has spent the past months haranguing Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Tuesday’s report is likely to be viewed favorably by the president, who has spent the past months haranguing Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haranguing
Verb
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Katie da Cunha Lewin is a writer based in London, currently lecturing in 20th and 21st-century literature at Coventry University.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
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Sometimes the messages got feisty, with Epstein lecturing Karp over a fee.—
Tom Schoenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Last week, according to WBD, a person speaking on Paramount’s behalf told a Warner board member that Paramount would agree to pay $31 per share if the two sides held deal talks.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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The airlines are speaking to the passengers directly, and the airlines are not reporting those numbers to the FBI.—
Scott MacFarlane,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kato is talking with local schools about turning Mardi Gras bead-making into a community project.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
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As kids get older, this transparency can cross over into talking honestly about social situations, financial decisions, or household values and responsibilities.—
Dina Gachman,
Parents,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From the whitewashing controversy to the toxic love to the daring costumes, the discourse is going to be discoursing.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More often, though, Tallent demonstrates his characters’ precarity rather than declaiming about it.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The first 10 minutes of the film are set in Norms, where a grungy man staggers in with a bomb, ranting about artificial intelligence.—
Fielding Buck,
Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
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In two minutes of ranting and raving about his degenerate son’s twenty-six-thousand-dollar dinner bill, Reiner gave an indelible comedic performance destined to be quoted for years to come.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Your superhero origin story doesn’t also have to a meta Hollywood buddy-comedy preaching The Thespian’s Gospel.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2026
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Some clergy view their moral obligations as going beyond preaching and leading them to on-the-ground advocacy and protest.—
Laura E. Alexander,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Haranguing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haranguing. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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