any of the orations delivered by Demosthenes, the Athenian orator, in the 4th century b.c., against Philip, king of Macedon.
any of the 14 orations delivered by Cicero against Marc Antony (44-43 b.c.).
(lowercase) any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation.
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin Philippicus, from Greek Philippikós; see Philip, -ic
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!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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 Trollope, Anthony
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
Plutarch makes no special mention of the second Philippic.
From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Trollope, Anthony
The First Philippic, spoken early in 351 B.C., was no sudden note of alarm drawing attention to an unnoticed peril.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various
He himself goes to Puteoli, and there he writes the second Philippic.
From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Trollope, Anthony
Instead, he has somehow managed to merge his decadeslong philippic with the St. Crispin’s Day Speech.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2025
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
