PHILIPPIC Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

philippic

noun

fə-ˈli-pik

Definition of philippic

as in jeremiad

a long angry speech or scolding the head coach was briefly suspended after launching into a foul-mouthed philippic during a press conference

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of philippic The Atlantic’s second issue included a thunderous philippic of some 7,600 words on the relentless encroachments of slavery and the fate of the Republic. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026 How not to hear in his philippic the traces of an OCD inscribed in our cultural DNA, a sanctimony that launched the archetypal act of avoidance that forms our origin myth? — Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025 The poet’s occasional philippics against capitalist excess are hard to distinguish from postwar politics, when former allies became lethal enemies, while in America the Red Scare of McCarthyism loomed. — William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025 While its always welcome to see additional news outlets in the battle for truth, justice and the American way, this philippic certainly doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously as a dispenser of information. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for philippic

Noun

The question, of course, is what we are supposed to do with these bourgeois jeremiads against bourgeois civilization, beyond enjoying them as high-end primal-scream therapy.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
The jeremiads against gambling as a corrupting influence have conveniently quieted.

— Made by History, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025

Definition of jeremiad

Noun

From sunburn complications to being on the receiving end of a Whitney Duncan diatribe, Cochran went through the reality TV wringer twice and lived to tell the tale.

— Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026
In response to a complaint from former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, Herbstreit posted a lengthy diatribe on X completely misunderstanding the modern game.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of diatribe

Noun

After France knocked out Paraguay in this year’s World Cup, Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla launched her own racist tirade attacking Mbappé and his national identity.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
The publicist has contacted SPIN’s top management with a tirade against me.

— Matt Thompson, SPIN, 13 July 2026

Definition of tirade

Noun

Iran’s new energy weapon Following the start of US- and Israeli-led attacks on February 28, Iran almost immediately declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, creating the largest oil supply shock in history.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
While setting up an attack near the France box, midfielder Dani Olmo overcame a hard challenge that knocked him down to play a through ball to Pedro Porro.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026

Definition of attack

Noun

Stephen Adly Guirgis, a New York playwright who specializes in urban pressure-cooker dramas, has a gift for writing subway strap-hanger harangues.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The Americans were prepared for a lecture from Russia’s longtime foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who is well known for his tedious harangues.

— Michael Crowley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Definition of harangue

Noun

If a street preacher shouts their sermon into a bullhorn on a public street, and a nearby business owner calls the police, who is in the right?

— Emily Holshouser July 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026
The Cupichs attended a parish where mass was celebrated in Latin (the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council were yet to come) but the sermons were spoken in Croatian.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

Definition of sermon

Noun

Classical fans who missed festival co-artistic director Susan Waterfall’s lecture and documentary on the master can stream the film for free (though donations are encouraged).

— Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 16 July 2026
In 2009, when D’Souza was a student at Oxford, the venture capitalist Peter Thiel gave a guest lecture.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Definition of lecture

Browse Nearby Words

philharmonics

philippic

philippics

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Philippic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philippic. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of philippic

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

accentuate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes