Agency Dictionary
declamation
nounPronunciation: /ˌdɛk.ləˈmeɪ.ʃən/
In Portuguese: declamação
Writing & Narrative
History & CivilizationsWhat does “declamation” mean?
The formal rhetorical exercise of delivering prepared speeches on hypothetical legal cases or historical dilemmas in classical Roman academies.
Etymology
From Latin declamatio, noun of action from declamare, "to practise speaking aloud, to deliver a set speech", made of de-, here an intensive, and clamare, "to cry out". In Roman schools of rhetoric the declamatio was the practice speech on an invented case, legal (controversia) or deliberative (suasoria). The word has been in English since the late Middle Ages and also names any loud, rhetorical speech.
Usage note
The verb is declaim, with ai, but the noun is declamation, with a. Outside the history of rhetoric the word often implies speech that is showy rather than sincere.
Synonyms
- oration
- recitation
- harangue
- speech
- tirade
Often confused with
- declaration
- A declaration is a formal statement of a fact or an intention; a declamation is a speech performed aloud for practice or display.
Word family
- declaim
- declamatory
- declaimer
- claim
- clamour
Rhymes with
- nation
- station
- creation
- foundation
- vacation
- relation
- education
- celebration
Usage examples
Weakness: critics complained that declamation drilled style on far-fetched themes rather than real cases.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
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Also from these editions: terms
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