What does "allocution" mean?
A formal speech, especially one which is regarded as authoritative and forceful.
Allocution
/alə(ʊ)ˈkjuːʃən/ noun
noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A formal speech, especially one which is regarded as authoritative and forceful.
- Grammar: allocution is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: address, address, after-dinner speech, chalk talk.
- Useful contrasts: casual remark, inaction, informal speech.
- Usage evidence: The Minister of War, in a barrack-square allocution to the officers of the artillery regiment he had been inspecting, had declared the national honour sold to foreigners.
How to use "allocution"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "allocution" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "allocution" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "allocution" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "allocution" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "allocution" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "address" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "allocution", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A formal speech, especially one which is regarded as authoritative and forceful. countable, uncountable
"The Minister of War, in a barrack-square allocution to the officers of the artillery regiment he had been inspecting, had declared the national honour sold to foreigners."
- 2 (rhetoric) a formal or authoritative address that advises or exhorts wordnet
- 3 The question put to a convicted defendant by a judge after the rendering of the verdict in a trial, in which the defendant is asked whether he or she wishes to make a statement to the court before sentencing; the statement made by a defendant in response to such a question; the legal right of a defendant to make such a statement. US, countable, uncountable
"The term "allocution" refers to the personal right of a defendant to make a statement on his own behalf in an attempt to affect sentencing. . . . The word "allocution" is also frequently used . . . to describe the statement made by a defendant during a guilty plea proceeding."
- 4 The legal right of a victim, in some jurisdictions, to make a statement to a court prior to sentencing of a defendant convicted of a crime causing injury to that victim; the actual statement made to a court by a victim. US, countable, uncountable
"As of July, 1985, 19 states permitted victim allocution at the sentencing phase of criminal trials."
- 5 A pronouncement by a pope to an assembly of church officials concerning a matter of church policy. countable, uncountable
"The recent papal allocution To the International Congress on Life-Sustaining Treatment and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas has been the occasion for much discussion concerning the use of artificial feeding tubes for nutrition and hydration."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The mode of information dissemination in which media broadcasts are transmitted to multiple receivers with no or very limited capability of a two-way exchange of information. countable, uncountable
"Allocution is the dissemination of information by a central unit towards a collectivity of decentral units, the central unit being both the source and the determining actor."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The Minister of War, in a barrack-square allocution to the officers of the artillery regiment he had been inspecting, had declared the national honour sold to foreigners."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "allocution"?
Common synonyms include: address, address, after-dinner speech, chalk talk, debate, declamation.
How do you use "allocution" in a sentence?
The Minister of War, in a barrack-square allocution to the officers of the artillery regiment he had been inspecting, had declared the national honour sold to foreigners.
How do you pronounce "allocution"?
Pronounced /alə(ʊ)ˈkjuːʃən/.
Etymology
From Latin allocūtiō (“address”).