or·a·to·ry
ˈȯr-ə-ˌtȯr-ē 
ˈär-
plural oratories
1
: a place of prayer
especially
: a private or institutional chapel
The mansion contained an oratory for the family's private devotion.
2
capitalized
: an Oratorian congregation, house, or church
1
: the art of speaking in public eloquently or effectively
2
a
: public speaking that employs oratory
b
: public speaking that is characterized by the use of stock phrases and that appeals chiefly to the emotions
Synonyms
Examples of oratory in a Sentence
Noun (2)
a presidential hopeful with a gift for oratory and a highly charismatic personality
the politician's oratory sounded good only to people who didn't bother to think
Recent Examples on the Web
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
He was not limited to a single playing field either in sports (baseball, basketball, and football) or the arts (acting, oratory, and singing).
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024
Rather oddly, for a film celebrating oratory in the Arabic language and in a particular Sudanese vernacular, the end credits feature a song in French: a language foreign to Sudanese people.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
Obama made his name with soaring oratory about a collective opportunity to fulfill America’s promise and a memoir that was deeply introspective about his role in that fight.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oratory 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
One source of Trump’s instinctive, inimitable political talent is that, for him, oratory and advertisement are entirely coeval domains.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
He was not limited to a single playing field either in sports (baseball, basketball, and football) or the arts (acting, oratory, and singing).
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024
Rather oddly, for a film celebrating oratory in the Arabic language and in a particular Sudanese vernacular, the end credits feature a song in French: a language foreign to Sudanese people.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
Obama made his name with soaring oratory about a collective opportunity to fulfill America’s promise and a memoir that was deeply introspective about his role in that fight.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for oratory
Dictionary Entries Near oratory
Cite this Entry
“Oratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oratory. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oratory
1 of 2 noun
or·a·to·ry
ˈȯr-ə-ˌtōr-ē
ˈär-,
-ˌtȯr-
plural oratories
: a place for prayer
especially
: a private chapel
oratory
2 of 2 noun1
: the art of an orator
2
: oratorical language or speeches
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share