Synonyms

reviled

American

[ri-vahyld] / rɪˈvaɪld /

adjective

addressed or spoken of with contemptuous or abusive language.

They have repeatedly bombed civilian targets and conducted mass kidnappings—tactics that have made them one of the most reviled terrorist groups in the world.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of revile.

Other Word Forms

unreviled

adjective

Etymology

Origin of reviled

revile ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“He does not ask us to applaud Lyutov’s sweet Jewish soul without revealing how it was reviled and how it could be destroyed by those he was eager to claim as his brothers.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Cortés remains a reviled figure to many in Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

But the MEK was long considered a terrorist group by Washington and enjoys little support inside Iran, where it is reviled for allying with Saddam Hussein's Iraq during the devastating 1980-88 war.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

Hoover-style service resumed, in other words, with a new target even more universally reviled than Red infiltrators.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2025

They didn't need any encouraging—they had a reviled demon in their sights.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023