Philippic

[ fi-lip-ik ]

noun

1. any of the orations delivered by Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, in the 4th century b.c., against Philip, king of Macedon.
2. any of the 14 orations delivered by Cicero against Marc Antony (44-43 b.c.).
3. (lowercase) any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation.

philippic

/ fɪˈlɪpɪk /

noun

1. a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Philippic¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin Philippicus, from Greek Philippikós; Philip, -ic

Example Sentences

This absurdity, occasioned by a bad joke, was unconstitutional, given what the Supreme Court said about the ninth-grader who, when she failed to make the varsity cheerleading team, posted on Snapchat — off campus and after school hours — a picture of her raised middle finger, and a teenager philippic, about half of it consisting of profanity.

From Washington Post

Graham’s philippic, directed at his Democratic colleagues.

From Fox News

The response to Mr. Mishra’s philippic came swiftly, with several people, including Mr. Carlson, noting they had never heard of him.

From Washington Times

His original draft of the Declaration contained a “vehement philippic against Negro slavery.”

From Literature

Ms. Goldstein’s book is meticulously fair and disarmingly balanced, serving up historical commentary instead of a searing philippic.

From New York Times