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fulmination

/ˈfʌlməˌneɪʃən/
IPA guide

Other forms: fulminations

A fulmination is some kind of explosion — either an actual explosion, like a firework, or an explosive expression of anger, like your angry fulminations in reaction to your brother spilling chocolate milk all over your science project.

The fulminations of an angry mob rushing the gates of the castle don't sound quite the same as the fulminations of an academic disagreement in a political science class, but they both express dissatisfaction, disagreement, or anger. The word fulmination, which usually appears in its plural form, comes from the Latin fulminare "to hurl lightning," and its Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine, flash, or burn."

Definitions of fulmination
  1. noun
    the act of exploding with noise and violence
    “his fulminations frightened the horses”
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    type of:
    burst, explosion
    the act of exploding or bursting
  2. noun
    thunderous verbal attack
    synonyms: diatribe
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    type of:
    denouncement, denunciation
    a public act of denouncing
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