adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˌɒɹəˈtɒɹɪkəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AO2 R AH0 T AO1 R AH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
of, or relating to oratory or an orator.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
A to'oto'o is a Sāmoan oratorical staff.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adjective satellite
Meaning 2
characteristic of an orator or oratory- Robert Graves
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
oratorical prose
harangued his men in an oratorical way
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From orator or oratory + -ical, or else from Latin ōrātōrius.