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; Philip, -ic

Example Sentences

Instead, he has somehow managed to merge his decadeslong philippic with the St. Crispin’s Day Speech.

From Slate

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

In this conversation, the novelist and her editor discuss the author-editor relationship, the danger of talking about books before they’re finished, and the “philippic against standardization” Tartt sent her copy editor.

From Slate