Harangue means to lecture someone in an aggressive, lengthy, and often tedious way. When you harangue someone, you go on and on in a way that feels more like an attack than a conversation, expressing your points with intensity and at exhausting length.

Imagine a coach who doesn't just point out what the team did wrong but spends twenty minutes angrily criticizing every detail while the players stand there feeling worse and worse. Or picture a family member who doesn't mention that you forgot to take out the trash but instead launches into a long, heated speech about responsibility, respect, and everything else they can think of. That's a harangue.

The word can be used as both a verb and a noun. You might harangue your little brother about cleaning his room (verb), or you might sit through a harangue from a frustrated teacher (noun). Either way, a harangue is exhausting to experience because it combines anger, length, and repetition.

What makes something a harangue rather than just criticism? It's the combination of intensity and duration. Brief, constructive feedback isn't a harangue. A harangue goes on too long, feels too harsh, and can leave the listener feeling beaten down rather than motivated to improve.