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• Philippic
  Philippic

  noun

  any of the orations delivered by Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, in the 4th century b.c., against Philip, king of Macedon.
• philippic
  philippic

  noun

  a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective

Philippic

American  

[fi-lip-ik] / fɪˈlɪp ɪk /

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.

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philippic British  

/ fɪˈlɪpɪk /

noun

1. a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective

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Etymology

Origin of Philippic

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

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Explanation

A philippic is a bitter rant against someone or something. Unfortunately your impassioned philippic condemning your parents’ midnight curfew rule only resulted in you being grounded for a week. The word philippic originates from the Greek word philippikos, the name given to the speeches of the famous Greek orator Demosthenes, who warned the Athenians against Philip II of Macedon. The Greeks didn’t listen to Demosthenes, however, and then Philip and his son Alexander the Great ended up bringing all of Greece under Macedonian control. Too bad for the Athenians!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Philippic philippic

The Second Philippic also was not delivered but issued as a pamphlet.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various

It shows also that up to this period, a few months previous to the envenomed hatred of the second Philippic, Antony and Cicero were presumed to be on terms of intimate friendship.

From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Anthony Trollope

Philippic, fil-ip′ik, n. one of the three orations of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedon, or of Cicero against Marc Antony: any discourse full of invective.—v.i.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

"It is impossible," says the French critic, speaking of the twelfth Philippic, "to surround the word 'I fear' with more imposing oratorical arguments."

From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Anthony Trollope

The Deputies were received by the Senate, who discussed their embassy, and on the next day they met again, when Cicero pronounced his eighth Philippic.

From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Anthony Trollope

That they are both Jewish adds an element of interest to an otherwise repetitive and strident philippic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

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 ● Mar. 26, 2018

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

From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2014

Pietsch: Before I began editing your book, you sent a philippic against standardization.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2013

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

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

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