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
Rather oddly, for a film celebrating oratory in the Arabic language and in a particular Sudanese vernacular, the end credits feature a song in French: a language foreign to Sudanese people.
—
Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
Obama made his name with soaring oratory about a collective opportunity to fulfill America’s promise and a memoir that was deeply introspective about his role in that fight.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024
Hassan Nasrallah, the iconic leader of Hezbollah who captivated many in the Arab world with his charismatic oratory, was killed on Friday in an Israeli attack on Beirut.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024
She is widely regarded as a pragmatist who lacks the charisma, oratory skills and pugnacious nature of the outgoing populist president.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oratory 
Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
Obama made his name with soaring oratory about a collective opportunity to fulfill America’s promise and a memoir that was deeply introspective about his role in that fight.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024
Hassan Nasrallah, the iconic leader of Hezbollah who captivated many in the Arab world with his charismatic oratory, was killed on Friday in an Israeli attack on Beirut.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024
She is widely regarded as a pragmatist who lacks the charisma, oratory skills and pugnacious nature of the outgoing populist president.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oratory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oratory
Noun
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Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2025
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Just last week, Adams was back in the capital where Trump delivered a speech at the national prayer breakfast.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Medvedev's comments, posted to Telegram on Saturday, suggested that Vance's rhetoric took European leaders by surprise and aligned with Russian criticisms of Western democracies.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
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Ukraine's president may be more influenced by the realties in his home country that Trump's rhetoric.—
Shannon K. Kingston,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Bartlet staff’s righteous (and self-righteous) elocution might seem — to the cynical — sentimental, treacly, smarmy, or just eye-roll-inducingly dumb.—
Lizzie Logan,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2024
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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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Its schools run a one-year diploma program free to young people ages 18 to 26, teaching English skills, information technology tools, and public speaking.—
Zinara Rathnayake,
The Christian Science Monitor,
11 Feb. 2025
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The organization also promotes leadership and public speaking.—
Kendall Larson,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near oratory
Cite this Entry
“Oratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oratory. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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