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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Examples of oratory in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The standard of oratory, at the Fiserv Forum, could politely be described as mixed.
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
The striking contrast with everything heard earlier — not just the music but the blood-and-guts oratory — was bewildering, and in the midst of the temporary bewilderment, Melania emerged in her trim, bright-red skirt suit.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
Michelle Obama’s oratory skills at a few DNCs have been praised by many, and her fashion choices from independent designers like Maria Pinto and Tracy Reese have been name-checked, too.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 17 July 2024
Other Kamala memes are rooted in the hokey nature of a lot of modern political speech: derived from aphorisms and pseudo-philosophical diction in the hope of echoing something like former President Barack Obama’s oratory.
—Christian Paz, Vox, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for oratory 
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
The striking contrast with everything heard earlier — not just the music but the blood-and-guts oratory — was bewildering, and in the midst of the temporary bewilderment, Melania emerged in her trim, bright-red skirt suit.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
Michelle Obama’s oratory skills at a few DNCs have been praised by many, and her fashion choices from independent designers like Maria Pinto and Tracy Reese have been name-checked, too.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 17 July 2024
Other Kamala memes are rooted in the hokey nature of a lot of modern political speech: derived from aphorisms and pseudo-philosophical diction in the hope of echoing something like former President Barack Obama’s oratory.
—Christian Paz, Vox, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for oratory
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oratory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Oratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oratory. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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