Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎤 To give a long speech 🗣️ To read aloud
to speechify

to speechify

1 9.4
To give a long formal speech that sounds boring and self-important
  • verb
  • /ˈspiːtʃɪfaɪ/
translation icon : disertar
  • But he was not his father, had other leanings, enjoyed his reading and translating medieval manuscripts, and was uncomfortable speechifying, swaying crowds, and being the center of everyone's attention.

Examples

  • Since Iran is not going for nuclear weapons, as conceded by the consensus of 16 American intelligence agencies, then the rest of this is just speechifying, trying to sound tough for the benefit of pro-Israeli voters.

    Blog text (31)

  • For the next two weeks, his life will be roses and marigolds, gladhanding and hand waving, speechifying and promising, all this while constantly smiling.

    Blog text (30)

  • I'm losing revenue while you speechify.

    Gangs of New York (2002)

  • Look, I know some people speechify about inclusion and equality and...

    Step Sisters (2018)

  • And that it's just not something that you get from someone speechifying at you.

  • Thus, in Doctor Who, the Doctor speechifies quite a bit about how Earth and humanity are important.

    Blog text (22)

  • "Look at our nuclear arsenal," they speechify proudly.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The contemporary left speechifies.

    Blog text (26)

  • You know, people like DSK and Weiner who can speechify common sense into doubtful mysteries.

    Blog text (5)

  • During the meeting, he began to speechify about the importance of environmental conservation, captivating everyone's attention.

Synonyms

to speak
vsto speechify
  • Formal
∞ 3.2

To give a formal talk to a group of people

is more characteristically pompous and often tedious when addressing others
to make a speech
vsto speechify
  • Formal
35 2.8

Give a formal talk to people at a public or special event

is focused on doing this in a pompous, tedious manner
to deliver a speech
vsto speechify
  • Formal
8 3.3

To give a formal talk to an audience

is more about a pompous or tedious style when giving formal talks
to declaim
vsto speechify
  • Formal
4 8.2

To speak loudly and with strong feeling like an actor giving a speech

is generally more pompous and boring rather than emotionally charged
to orate
vsto speechify
  • Formal
1 8.8

Give a long formal speech in public in a showy way

is about giving a formal talk often in a pompous or tedious way
to perorate
vsto speechify
  • Formal
9.9

To end a formal speech with a long, strong summary

is more about a long, pompous formal talk rather than just concluding remarks
to spiel off
vsto speechify
  • Informal
8.7

To say facts quickly and smoothly from memory

is slower, formally structured, and often more pompous or tedious
to platitudinize
vsto speechify
9.9

To speak or write dull, obvious things instead of new ideas

is about formal, pompous public talks rather than simply dull remarks

How Oratorical

to orate
  • Formal
1 8.8
to speechify
1 9.4
to deliver a speech
  • Formal
8 3.3
to talk
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

speechify infinitive
speechified past
speechified past participle
speechifying present participle
speechifies third person singular

Morphology

speechify = speech (semi-transparent) = speech + ify

Formed from 'speech' + '-ify' meaning 'to make/say a speech', but the habitual/pompous connotation in this sense is not fully predictable from the components.

Etymology

Speechify joins speech ('a talk') and the ending -ify ('to make'), the same ending you see in simplify, so it literally means 'make a speech' and is often used for giving a long, showy, or boring talk.