vilify
[vil-uh-fahy]
- to speak ill of; defame; slander.
- Obsolete. to make vile.
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Origin of vilify
Synonyms
See more synonyms for vilify on Thesaurus.com1. depreciate, disparage, calumniate, malign, abuse, asperse, blacken.
Antonyms
1. commend.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for vilification
Contemporary Examples
Instead, they have unleashed a storm of nit-picking and vilification.
The good news for Canada is that these acts of vilification have been met with resounding criticism from political leaders.
Matthew Dowd, a former strategist for George W. Bush, said the GOP “wants passion and wants the vilification of the president.”
Historical Examples
I was naturally the chief mark for the enemy, and was deluged with vilification.
Frenzied FinanceThomas W. Lawson
He keeps his servility sweet by preserving it in the salt of vilification.
The Shadow On The Dial, and Other EssaysAmbrose Bierce
All this vilification is really the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius.
Thomas Paine, The Apostle of LibertyJohn E. Remsburg
Daily abuse and vilification have been his portion and reward.
'The System,' as uncovered by the San Francisco Graft ProsecutionFranklin Hichborn
I must endure slander, vilification, misunderstanding, and all that.
The HomesteaderOscar Micheaux
vilify
- to revile with abusive or defamatory language; malignhe has been vilified in the tabloid press
- rare to make vile; debase; degrade
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Word Origin
C15: from Late Latin vīlificāre, from Latin vīlis worthless + facere to make
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for vilification
vilify
v.
mid-15c., "to lower in worth or value," from Late Latin vilificare "to make cheap or base," from Latin vilis "cheap, base" (see vile) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "to slander, speak evil of" is first recorded 1590s. Related: Vilified, vilifying.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper