WordValejeremiad
a long lament warning of disaster
In more detail
1. (noun) a long, angry speech or piece of writing complaining about something or criticizing something strongly
2. (noun) a mournful or sorrowful complaint
Examples
- 1. The mayor delivered a jeremiad against rising crime in the city.
- 2. His jeremiad about lost youth and better times was both moving and depressing.
How to use jeremiad
A jeremiad is a prolonged, passionate complaint or denunciation, often with a tone of moral outrage or mournfulness. It typically targets systemic problems, decline, or injustice and carries an intensity beyond casual criticism. The word is used in formal or literary contexts and often implies some eloquence or rhetorical power in the complaint itself.
Common phrases
- deliver a jeremiad
- launch into a jeremiad
- a jeremiad against
- bitter jeremiad
- long jeremiad
Synonyms
tirade · diatribe · rant · lament · screed
Opposites
praise · eulogy
Word family
jeremiadic (adjective)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use jeremiad to mean simply 'a complaint' without recognizing that it implies length, intensity, and often a formal or elaborate delivery; casual grumbling is not a jeremiad.
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