Some speech is not just loud but angry, long and bitter. This topic gives you words for the kinds of angry speech, for the force behind them and for noise in general, from a crowd’s clamor to a band’s cacophony.
Key idea
Angry speeches: a tirade (long and angry), a diatribe (a bitter attack), a harangue (a loud lecture). The words themselves: invective (abusive language), vitriolic (burning like acid). The force: vehement (intense), vociferous (loud about opinions), strident (harsh, grating). Noise: clamor (shouting), cacophony (clashing sounds).
Two Latin parts help: voc means voice (vociferous, vocal), and the Greek phon means sound (cacophony, telephone, symphony).
The ten words
Common mistake
vociferous is about loud expression of opinion; it does not mean wordy. cacophony is harsh noise; euphony is its pleasant opposite.
| word | what kind of loud | think of |
|---|---|---|
| tirade | a long, angry speech | a neighbor ranting about a broken window |
| diatribe | a bitter attack, often written | a furious letter to the editor |
| harangue | a loud lecture to a group | a coach at halftime |
| invective / vitriolic | insulting, burning words | name-calling |
| vehement / vociferous | forceful feeling / loud opinions | a crowd demanding a park |
| strident | harsh and grating | a car alarm |
| clamor / cacophony | a din of voices / clashing sounds | a crowd; a beginner band |
vociferous means loud, not wordy: a vociferous fan shouts, while a verbose speaker simply uses too many words. cacophony (bad sound) has a pleasant opposite, euphony (good sound), from the Greek eu, good.