Question

Philippic (noun)

Accepted Answer

A bitter verbal attack; a rant filled with harsh, cruel language.

The original philippics were a series of speeches by the great Athenian orator Demosthenes. In these speeches, Demosthenes denounced King Philip of Macedon and warned his fellow Athenians of Philip’s political ambitions.

Synonyms:

Invective is a noun that refers to a vehement or violent denunciation; a railing accusation, usually bitter and sarcastic, as in “The prisoner hurled a stream of invectives at the judge,

jury, and prosecutors as he was led away in chains.”

Vituperation is a synonym for invective that refers to a violent denunciation or verbal abuse or castigation. It’s often heard in its adjective form, vituperative.

A diatribe is a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism. For example: “The increasingly bitter diatribes against the horrific boss led to his resignation.

A tirade is a long, vehement speech or bitter denunciation. For example, "After finding cigarette butts and ash in the customers’ food, the health inspector launched into a 20-minute tirade against smoking in the restaurant’s kitchen.”

A harangue can be a noun that means a scolding or a long and intense verbal attack. Harangue can also be used as a verb meaning to deliver such a verbal attack, as in “His mother constantly harangues him about his messy room.”

Bitter Verbal Invective Noun Refers Vehement Led Harangue