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jeremiad

jeremiad

1 9.9
A long sad speech that complains about many problems
  • noun
  • /ˌdʒɛrəˈmaɪəd/
  • Literature
translation icon : jeremiada
  • The author's latest book is a poignant jeremiad that highlights social injustices faced by many.

Examples

  • When Foster finished his jeremiad, the crowd appeared somewhat stunned.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Critics will discern symptoms of decline in every passage of history, and jeremiads alone cannot substantiate the existence of a moral crisis.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I think you should have some writers write some jeremiads for him.

  • Again, Davis's use of the jeremiad, I would suggest, does not fall into this tradition.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The loss of housekeeping skills among American women was a popular jeremiad.

    Academic text (2014)
  • In McNaughton, Morgan finds something old: a jeremiad against the current American political establishment.

    Blog text (22)
  • There have been countless penmanship jeremiads in recent decades, lamenting the loss of fine handwriting.

    Academic text (2007)
  • As he listened to the tone of our present discontents, he could not help noticing echoes of earlier jeremiads.

    Academic text (1991)
  • By 1861, the American jeremiad had long evolved from a Puritan sermon into a mode of middle-class social prophecy.

    Academic text (1994)
  • His lengthy jeremiad about the decline of education left us all feeling disheartened.

Synonyms

lament
vsjeremiad
  • Literature
17 6.1

A sad song, poem, or cry that shows grief

is longer and presents a series of complaints or woes
lamentation
vsjeremiad
  • Literature
7 7.7

A strong feeling of sadness that people show by crying

focuses on a long mournful complaint listing many woes

How Mournful

dirge
8 8.2
jeremiad
  • Literature
1 9.9
grievance
89 5.8
complaint
564 1.4

Surface Forms

jeremiad singular
jeremiads plural

Morphology

jeremiad = Jeremiah (opaque) = Jeremiah + iad

Formed from the proper name Jeremiah plus the suffix '-iad'; understanding the meaning requires knowledge of the biblical reference and the suffix is not productive in general English.

Etymology

Jeremiad comes from the Bible prophet Jeremiah, who made long, sad warnings about his people's troubles. So a jeremiad is a long, mournful 'complaint' or a list of 'troubles'.