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

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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

My Fortune colleague Nick Lichtenberg had a good story on why the resignation jeremiad of former Anthropic and OpenAI safety researcher Jacob Coxon had such impact when previous warnings, often from much higher-profile individuals, did not.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of jeremiad

Noun

His subsequent uninterrupted three-minute diatribe proving your exact point is the kind of spectacular self own most ppl only dream about triggering.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
There is something instructive in the agent concluding a diatribe on quelling revolutionary violence with a note about feeling inspired.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of diatribe

Noun

A week later, Glenn went on a tirade while surrounded by three officials during the Jets’ victory over the Browns.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Footage of Jackson's tirade is indisputable, and the consequences are entirely self-inflicted.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of tirade

Noun

In his statement, Dan also blamed Russia for a spate of attacks in recent weeks on civilian maritime transport in the Black Sea, which has left at least three people dead and has raised fears of an escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine.

— STEPHEN McGRATH, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
The attack ads that exaggerate and lie about their opponents, without mentioning their myopic support for their dear leader whose baggage has destroyed America’s standing in the world, are astounding.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Noun

Either way, Steve Sarkisian has noticed something different about his quarterback this week, which also comes at a time of heightened criticism towards the Texas offense.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
The government efforts to make sure that male royals are producing male emperors have triggered criticisms.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of criticism

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 harangue

Noun

His apocalyptic sermons taught that his followers and their children should starve themselves to death to get into heaven before the end of the world, per Reuters.

— Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2026
Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye, charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara, sang.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of sermon

Noun

Nearly all of their rituals are rooted in female submission, expressed without words to keep the film from feeling like a lecture.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Biographers of Berryman, including Eileen, tend to record the Shakespeare lecture as a turning point of sorts for the American poet.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lecture

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philharmonics

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philippics

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“Philippic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/philippic. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of philippic

noun

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