oration

noun

ora·​tion ə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce oration (audio)
ȯ-
: an elaborate discourse (see discourse entry 1 sense 2) delivered in a formal and dignified manner
She delivered an oration on the value of art in our society.
a commencement oration
a funeral oration

Examples of oration in a Sentence

She made an oration on the value of art in society. the celebrated orations of Daniel Webster in unwavering support of the federal union
Recent Examples on the Web Pasquale and Giuseppe are merely victims only in the most obvious scene: a grandstanding courtroom oration by a lawyer who accuses Italy for its indifference to the suffering of street kids. Armond White, National Review, 19 June 2024 Those remarks were intended as a brief and formal follow-up to Everett’s two-hour oration dedicating the opening of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2024 The rest needed little exaggeration: the property had a massive stone that George Washington once gave spirited orations from; clusters of money were said to be buried in the backwoods. Nicolette Polek, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024 The most famous defense of democracy, the funeral oration of Pericles, is about the harmony of risk and freedom. Timothy Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022 See all Example Sentences for oration 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin oration-, oratio speech, oration, from orare to plead, speak, pray; akin to Hittite ariya- to consult an oracle and perhaps to Greek ara prayer

First Known Use

circa 1504, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oration was circa 1504

Dictionary Entries Near oration

Cite this Entry

“Oration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oration. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

oration

noun
ora·​tion ə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce oration (audio)
ȯ-
: an important speech given on some special occasion
Etymology

from Latin oration-, oratio "speech," from oratus, past participle of orare "to speak, pray" — related to adore, oracle

More from Merriam-Webster on oration

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