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

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

In 1707 he published a large treatise in English and Latin, as "A Philippic Oration, to incite the English against the French," a work I have never seen.

From Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers." by Bradlaugh, Charles

It was the same when he uttered Philippic after Philippic in the presence of Antony's friends.

From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Trollope, Anthony

‘This splendid oration, in its fiery vigour and mastery of invective, is unsurpassed except by the Second Philippic.’

From Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Luce, Edmund

I will not treat my readers to any of these specimens of the art Philippic, but will confine myself to a few business excerpts instead, taken indiscriminately from the New York and Boston papers.

From Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States by Semmes, Raphael

The speech “On the Affairs of the Chersonese” and the Third Philippic were the crowning efforts of Demosthenes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various