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

Kelaidis reads their popularity as evidence that historical scholarship has become a kind of liberal jeremiad, offering moral reassurance through historical analogy.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
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

Definition of jeremiad

Noun

Design After endless diatribes about the quirky lines of Ferrari’s all-electric Luce, the marque’s enthusiasts will find that the Amalfi Spider’s long-hood, raked-screen, and open-top lines are comfortingly familiar and unquestionably gorgeous.

— Howard Walker, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2026
Thank you, Kat Timpf, for speaking up against Greg Gutfeld’s hateful, pointless and incorrect diatribe about cats and the people who give them a home.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of diatribe

Noun

Detectives charged him with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for the vicious attack that killed his mother, 57-year-old Josefa Soto de Guzman, on Friday.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Just like Ejva, who suddenly needs to learn how to protect the herd and make her family proud, even when a violent attack leaves her struggling.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of attack

Noun

The decision quickly drew criticism from cattle industry organizations.

— Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
As someone who counsels and advocates for people who have been convicted of the worst crimes imaginable, Hood often faces criticism from the victims’ families.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of criticism

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

The ad splices together quotes from two sermons Hamilton delivered in 2020 about climate change and the mass Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd's death.

— Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
In the original sermon from June 2020, which is available on YouTube, Hamilton shared photos and videos of himself and other demonstrators at a Black Lives Matter rally in Kansas City.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of sermon

Noun

Flipping the lecture cycle Classically, engineering courses default to hours of lectures where students are expected to take notes, with problem sets and exams bolted on.

— Jason Corso, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
As YouTube faces heightened scrutiny in Brussels, the lecture also had some lobbying purposes.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Aug. 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 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of philippic

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cogent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes