philippics

noun

plural of philippic
as in attacks
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for philippics
  1. attacks
  2. criticisms
  3. tirades
  4. jeremiads
  5. diatribes
  6. rants
  7. harangues
  8. sermons
Noun
  • Monday's attacks on a shelter and former school with bunker-busting bombs came as people were lined up for aid in Komyshuvakha, a village in the Zaporizhzhia region.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Russia ramped up its aerial attacks on towns and cities across the country over the summer, striking at all times of the day.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • It’s expected to be the most politically delicate stop, given the Catholic Church’s sharp criticisms of the austerity program of libertarian President Javier Milei.
    — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Commissioners declined to comment for this article, and Tony has not posted any new criticisms on his agency’s social media pages.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of criticisms
Noun
  • Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher went on one of his bad-boy tirades during a performance at the 1996 show by swearing, wandering the stage and making lewd gestures during his brother Noel’s guitar solo.
    — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
  • This tradition viewed progressive nationalism as using promises of reform and demagogic tirades against scapegoats abroad to distract from their own corruption and irresponsibility.
    — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tirades
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
Definition of jeremiads
Noun
  • With its mix of teenage alienation, anti-authority diatribes and heaps of personality disorder, Darko is appealing in a kind of neo-Heathers, anti-establishment way.
    — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The two agreed that Springsteen's penchant in recent years for going on mid-concert political diatribes is wearing a little thin.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of diatribes
Noun
  • Omar, who became a citizen 26 years ago, has long been an outspoken Trump critic and a target of his racist rants, and the raid was a naked display of retribution, persecution and intimidation.
    — James Speyer, New York Daily News, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Because China’s system is tightly controlled, its descent into personalistic one-man rule does not play out in divisive confrontations on television or erratic social media rants by the top leader.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of rants
Noun
  • The movie is an epic series of harrumphs and harangues, propelled from room to room—and, in time, out into the world beyond the estate—by a spirit of impudent absurdism and corrosive cynicism which seems to emanate from Digger himself.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of harangues
Noun
  • During court proceedings, relatives and friends accused Mackenzie of indoctrinating his congregation with doomsday sermons.
    — Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026
  • His stump speeches are often regarded by attendees more as sermons than straight politicking.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sermons
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.

Browse Nearby Words

philippic
philippics
philistine
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Cite this Entry

“Philippics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philippics. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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