rant

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

rant, v. i. [OD. ranten, randen, to dote, to be enraged.].

 To rave in violent, high-sounding, or extravagant language, without dignity of thought; to be noisy, boisterous, and bombastic in talk or declamation; as, a ranting preacher.  [1913 Webster]
"Look where my ranting host of the Garter comes!"  [1913 Webster]

rant, n. 

 High-sounding language, without importance or dignity of thought; boisterous, empty declamation; bombast; as, the rant of fanatics.  [1913 Webster]
"This is a stoical rant, without any foundation in the nature of man or reason of things."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

rant, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. use bombastic language.
2 tr. & intr. declaim, recite theatrically.
3 tr. & intr. preach noisily.
--n.
1 a piece of ranting, a tirade.
2 empty turgid talk.

Derivative

ranter n. rantingly n.

Etymology

Du. ranten rave

THESAURUS

rant

absurdity, act, amphigory, assault, attack, babble, babblement, balderdash, barbarize, batter, bawl out, be angry, be excitable, be insane, be livid, be pissed, bellow, berate, bibble-babble, blabber, blather, blow a gasket, blow up, bluff, bluster, bluster and bluff, blustering, boastfulness, boil, bombast, bombastry, bounce, brag, bravado, browned off, brutalize, bully, bullying, burn, bustle, butcher, carry on, catch fire, catch the infection, chafe, claptrap, come apart, debate, declaim, demagogue, destroy, dote, double-talk, drivel, drool, elocute, excite easily, expatiate, explode, expound, fanfaronade, fiddle-faddle, fiddledeedee, fire up, flame up, flare up, flash up, flatulence, flip, flummery, flurry, fluster, folderol, fret, fudge, fume, fuss, fustian, gabble, galimatias, gammon, gasconade, get excited, gibber, gibberish, gibble-gabble, go into hysterics, go on, gobbledygook, grimace, ham, ham it up, hammer, harangue, have a conniption, have a demon, have a tantrum, hector, hectoring, highfalutin, histrionics, hit the ceiling, hocus-pocus, hold forth, hot air, huff, humbug, intimidate, intimidation, jabber, jargon, jaw, lash, lay waste, lecture, lexiphanicism, loot, maul, mouth, mug, mumbo jumbo, narrishkeit, niaiserie, nonsense, orate, out-herod Herod, overact, overdramatize, pack of nonsense, palaver, perorate, philippic, pillage, pissed off, pomposity, pontificate, prate, prattle, preach, rabble-rouse, rag, rage, rail, raise Cain, raise hell, raise the devil, raise the roof, ramble, ramp, rampage, rant and rave, rape, rate, rave, read, ream out, recite, rhapsody, rhetoric, rigamarole, rigmarole, riot, roar, rodomontade, roister, rollick, rubbish, ruin, run a temperature, run amok, run mad, sack, savage, seethe, side, simmer, sizzle, skimble-skamble, slang, slaughter, slaver, slobber, smoke, smolder, soapbox, sow chaos, speak, spiel, splutter, spout, sputter, stew, storm, stuff and nonsense, stultiloquence, swagger, swashbuckle, swashbucklery, take fire, take on, tear, tear around, terrorize, theatrics, throw a fit, throw away, tirade, trash, trumpery, trumpet, tub-thump, turgidity, turn a hair, twaddle, twattle, twiddle-twaddle, underact, vandalize, vapor, vaporing, violate, vituperate, vociferate, waffling, wander, wreck

ROGET THESAURUS

rant

Diffuseness

VB be diffuse, run out on, descant, expatiate, enlarge, dilate, amplify, expand, inflate, launch out, branch out, rant, maunder, prose, harp upon, dwell on, insist upon, digress, ramble, battre la campagne, beat about the bush, perorate, spin a long yarn, protract, spin out, swell out, draw out, battologize.

Ornament

N ornament, floridness c, adj, turgidity, turgescence, altiloquence, declamation, teratology, well-rounded periods, elegance, orotundity, inversion, antithesis, alliteration, paronomasia, figurativeness, flourish, flowers of speech, flowers of rhetoric, frills of style, euphuism, euphemism, big-sounding words, high-sounding words, macrology, sesquipedalia verba, Alexandrine, inflation, pretension, rant, bombast, fustian, prose run mad, fine writing, sesquipedality, Minerva press, phrasemonger, euphuist, euphemist, ornament, beautified, ornate, florid, rich, flowery, euphuistic, euphemistic, sonorous, high-sounding, big-sounding, inflated, swelling, tumid, turgid, turgescent, pedantic, pompous, stilted, orotund, high flown, high flowing, sententious, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, grandiloquent, magniloquent, altiloquent, sesquipedal, sesquipedalian, Johnsonian, mouthy, bombastic, fustian, frothy, flashy, flaming, antithetical, alliterative, figurative, artificial, ore rutundo, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental art, ornature, ornateness, adornment, decoration, embellishment, architecture, jewelry, garnish, polish, varnish, French polish, veneer, japanning, lacquer, gilding, plating, ormolu, enamel, cloisonn_e, cosmetics (in general), makeup, eye shadow, rouge, face powder, lipstick, blush, pattern, diaper, powdering, paneling, graining, pargeting, detail, repousse (convexity), texture, richness, tracery, molding, fillet, listel, strapwork, coquillage, flourish, fleur-de-lis, arabesque, fret, anthemion, egg and tongue, egg and dart, astragal, zigzag, acanthus, cartouche, pilaster, bead, beading, champleve ware, cloisonne ware, frost work, Moresque, Morisco, tooling, embroidery, brocade, brocatelle, galloon, lace, fringe, trapping, border, edging, trimming, hanging, tapestry, arras, millinery, ermine, drap d'or, wreath, festoon, garland, chaplet, flower, nosegay, bouquet, posy, daisies pied and violets blue, tassel knot, shoulder knot, apaulette, epaulet, aigulet, frog, star, rosette, bow, feather, plume, pompom, panache, aigrette, finery, frippery, gewgaw, gimcrack, tinsel, spangle, clinquant, pinchbeck, paste, excess of ornament, gaud, pride, illustration, illumination, vignette, fleuron, head piece, tail piece, cul-de-lampe, flowers of rhetoric, work of art, ornamented, beautified, ornate, rich, gilt, begilt, tesselated, festooned, champleve, cloisonne, topiary, smart, gay, trickly, flowery, glittering, new gilt, new spangled, fine as a Mayday queen, fine as a fivepence, fine as a carrot fresh scraped, pranked out, bedight, well-groomed, in full dress, dressed to kill, dressed to the nines, dressed to advantage, in Sunday best, en grand tenue, en grande toilette, in best bib and tucker, endimanche, showy, flashy, gaudy, garish, gairish, gorgeous, ornamental, decorative, becoming.

Speech

VB speak of, say, utter, pronounce, deliver, give utterance to, utter forth, pour forth, breathe, let fall, come out with, rap out, blurt out have on one's lips, have at the end of one's tongue, have at the tip of one's tongue, break silence, open one's lips, open one's mouth, lift one's voice, raise one's voice, give the tongue, wag the tongue, talk, outspeak, put in a word or two, hold forth, make a speech, deliver a speech, speechify, harangue, declaim, stump, flourish, recite, lecture, sermonize, discourse, be on one's legs, have one's say, say one's say, spout, rant, rave, vent one's fury, vent one's rage, expatiate, speak one's mind, go on the stump, take the stump, soliloquize, tell, speak to, talk together, be eloquent, have a tongue in one's head, have the gift of the gab, pass one's lips, escape one's lips, fall from the lips, fall from the mouth.

The Drama

VB act, play, perform, put on the stage, personate, mimic, enact, play a part, act a part, go through a part, perform a part, rehearse, spout, gag, rant, strut and fret one's hour upon a stage, tread the boards, tread the stage, come out, star it.

Excitability

VB be impatient, not be able to bear, bear ill, wince, chafe, champ a bit, be in a stew, be out of all patience, fidget, fuss, not have a wink of sleep, toss on one's pillow, lose one's temper, break out, burst out, fly out, go off, fly off, fly off at a tangent, fly off the handle, lose one's cool, explode, flare up, flame up, fire up, burst into a flame, take fire, fire, burn, boil, boil over, foam, fume, rage, rave, rant, tear, go wild, run wild, run mad, go into hysterics, run riot, run amuck, battre la campagne, faire le diable a quatre, play the deuce.

Unmeaningness

N meaninglessness, unmeaningness, scrabble, empty sound, dead letter, vox et praeterea nihil, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, nonsense, utter nonsense, gibberish, jargon, jabber, mere words, hocus-pocus, fustian, rant, bombast, balderdash, palaver, flummery, verbiage, babble, baverdage, baragouin, platitude, niaiserie, inanity, flap-doodle, rigmarole, rodomontade, truism, nugae canorae, twaddle, twattle, fudge, trash, garbage, humbug, poppy-cock, stuff, stuff and nonsense, bosh, rubbish, moonshine, wish-wash, fiddle- faddle, absurdity, vagueness, boilerplate, clich_¬, unmeaning, meaningless, senseless, nonsensical, void of sense, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant, not significant, insignificant, trashy, washy, trumpery, trivial, fiddle-faddle, twaddling, quibbling, unmeant, not expressed, tacit, inexpressible, undefinable, incommunicable.

Exaggeration

N exaggeration, expansion, hyperbole, stretch, strain, coloring, high coloring, caricature, caricatura, extravagance, Baron Munchausen, men in buckram, yarn, fringe, embroidery, traveler's tale, fish story, gooseberry, storm in a teacup, much ado about nothing, puff, puffery, rant, figure of speech, facon de parler, stretch of fancy, stretch of the imagination, flight of fancy, false coloring, aggravation, exaggerated, overwrought, bombastic, hyperbolical, on stilts, fabulous, extravagant, preposterous, egregious, outre, highflying, hyperbolically, excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo.