Thread: is ranting a compliment or an insult?

i see it as, its better to rant on about something than it is to sit there quietly and let whatever is going on happen.

what do you think, is ranting an insult or compliment?

rant:

1. A criticism done by ranting.
2. A wild, incoherent, emotional articulation.
3. An exposition written, or more often oral, where emotionality supersedes rationality. Its purpose is a call to action, often identifying a target for ire and a path to resolution. Due to the pejorative connotation of the term it is a descriptor that is often subjective, most often applied to messages disagreed with. IE: Hitler's speeches were rants, Churchill's were spellbinding.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Rant

Definition: (v.) to speak in a loud, uncontrolled, and angry way; (n.) a speech that is long, angry, and often confusing

Synonyms: (v.) rage, harangue, declaim, yell, roar, rail, rave, (n.) tirade, attack, lecture

Antonyms: (v.) whisper, placate

Tips: Think of the similar words rave, "to talk in a noisy and excited way," rail, "to complain or criticize," and chant, "repetitive talk." Rant is all three combined; it is loud, angry and often repetitive talk. "Ranting and raving" is a common saying in American English. Note: The synonym rave means "to speak in an angry and uncontrolled manner," but it can also be positive, "to praise something enthusiastically."

Usage Examples:

The angry protesters continued to rant about their issue. (yell, rage, roar) verb

No one listened to the teacher's rant about the importance of paying attention. (lecture, tirade) noun

Although I understood, I still didn't want to hear the man's ranting and raving about the high price of gasoline. (yelling, seething) verb

Her sudden rant about the terrible office policies left us standing there in shock. (tirade, rage, lecture) noun

http://vocabulary-vocabulary.com/dictionary/rant.php

verb - speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way.

ORIGIN Dutch ranten ‘talk nonsense, rave’.

http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/rant?view=uk

all in the eye of the beholder.

Well it depends on whose view it is from, and what it is about.

I mean 'ranting' on about how someone is being a complete pain in the neck to someone else for no particular reason is generally a good thing.

But then there are still times where it is just a bad thing.

On the note of whose view it is from, it would be a sort of compliment to the person you were sticking up for, but then it would also insult the other person who was being the pain, but that doesn't matter so much.

i find it a compliment depending on who said it.