Meaning & use

oratory

noun·Advanced

The skill of public speaking, especially in a formal, persuasive, or eloquent style.

See it in a sentence

His oratory moved the crowd to tears during the memorial service speech.

Ancient Rome placed enormous value on oratory as a path to political power.

A note on using this word

Oratory refers to the skill itself, not a single speech; a small chapel used for private prayer is a separate, unrelated meaning of the same word.

Words with a similar meaning

rhetoriceloquence

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A small chapel or room set aside for private prayer.

The old manor house still has a tiny oratory tucked behind the library.

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