declaim

verb

de·​claim di-ˈklām 

dē-

declaimed; declaiming; declaims

intransitive verb

1

: to speak rhetorically

speakers declaimed on a variety of issues

specifically : to recite something as an exercise in elocution

2

: to speak pompously or bombastically : harangue

In presence of this historical fact it is foolish to declaim about natural rights …

—V. L. Parrington

transitive verb

: to deliver rhetorically

an actor declaiming his lines

"I am a German citizen," she declaimed as if she had been practicing these lines …

—André A. Aciman

specifically : to recite in elocution

… all these people declaiming selections from Shakespeare.

—Ellen Glasgow

declaimer noun

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When Should You Use declaim?

Declaiming suggests an unnatural style of speech best suited to a stage or podium. Listening to an actor declaim a passage in a Shakespeare play can be enjoyable. Listening to Aunt Ida at Sunday dinner declaiming on the virtues of roughage might not be. Most people don't appreciate being treated as an audience, and good advice is usually more welcome when it's not given in a declamatory style.

Synonyms

• descant
• discourse
• expatiate
• harangue
• lecture
• orate
• speak
• talk

Examples of declaim in a Sentence

The actress declaimed her lines with passion.

The speakers declaimed on a variety of issues.

Recent Examples on the Web

Oliveira films on location, with the actors in costume, declaiming in boldly theatrical tones that seem wrenched whole from the era of the play’s origins. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024

Ten minutes later, a few dozen people were crowding into 192 Books, on Tenth Avenue, to hear Grau declaim in a dead language. —Fergus McIntosh, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

He’s left a distinctive stamp on the orchestra’s sound in the years since, whether declaiming the beginning of Mahler 5 with a preacher’s conviction or, as in a recent Ravinia concert, tossing off a ragtime solo with waggish virtuosity. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024

His campaign said in March that the policy would apply only to mandatory coronavirus vaccinations, but Trump has repeatedly declaimed against vaccine mandates without mentioning covid. —Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English declamen, from Latin declamare, from de- + clamare to cry out; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low entry 3

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

declaim

verb

de·​claim di-ˈklām 

: to speak or deliver in the manner of a formal speech

declaimer noun

declamation

ˌdek-lə-ˈmā-shən 

noun

declamatory

di-ˈklam-ə-ˌtōr-ē

-ˌtȯr-

adjective