Oration Meaning
/ɒˈɹeɪʃən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA formal, often ceremonial speech.
nounA lengthy speech or argument in a private setting.
Sentence Examples
His great oration was like pearls before swine.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mayor gave a long and passionate ____ to the citizens at the town hall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The senator delivered a powerful ____ that moved the audience to tears and earned a standing ovation.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin ōrātiō, ōrātiōnem, from ōrō (“to orate”) + -tiō (“action (nominalizer)”). Cognate with and doublet of orison.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] there is ſuch confuſion in my powers, / As after ſome Oration fairely ſpoke / By a beloued Prince, there doth appeare / Among the buzzing pleaſed multitude."
— c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
"And vpon a ſet day Herod arayed in royall apparell, ſate vpon his throne, and made an Oration vnto them."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 12:21, column 1:
"[…] when the provinces again displayed their old flags (proscribed in Guzman Bento’s time) there was another of those great orations, when Don José greeted these old emblems of the war of Independence, brought out again in the name of new Ideals."
— 1904 January 29 – October 7, Joseph Conrad, chapter I, in Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, London; New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], published 1904, →OCLC, part second (The Isabels), page 112:
"My Landlord was likewiſe beginning his Oration to Jones, but was preſently interrupted by that generous Youth, who ſhook him heartily by the Hand; and aſſured him of entire Forgiveneſs […]"
— 1749, Henry Fielding, “In which the Arrival of a Man of War puts a final End to Hostilities, and causes the Conclusion of a firm and lasting Peace between all Parties”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IX, page 338:
"Sally bustled off to set on the kettle for tea, and felt half ashamed, in the quiet of the kitchen, to think of the oration she had made in the parlour."
— 1854, Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter 16, in Ruth:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The mayor gave a long and passionate ____ to the citizens at the town hall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The senator delivered a powerful ____ that moved the audience to tears and earned a standing ovation.