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!
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Never was there a finer opportunity for the display of eloquence, than what was afforded to Cicero on this occasion; of which he most gloriously availed himself in the fourteenth Philippic.
From History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Volume II by Dunlop, John
Cicero in his thirteenth Philippic shows how futile such a peace would be.
From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Trollope, Anthony
In his Philippic Orations he gave full vent to his bitter hatred of Antony and so aroused the latter’s undying enmity.
From A History of Rome to 565 A. D. by Boak, Arthur Edward Romilly
It was on the receipt of the news in Rome of the first battle, but before the second had been fought, that the last Philippic was spoken.
From The Life of Cicero Volume II. by Trollope, Anthony
This was the last Philippic and last oration which Cicero delivered.
From History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Volume II by Dunlop, John
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.
