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.

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

That revelation led to a surge in discontent with a government already under fire for its poor economic performance and its reviled strict moral codes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Few people who visit Joshua Tree National Park today know that the species was once universally reviled.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

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

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2025

The outside world loved and reviled Charles Darwin.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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