vilify

[vil-uh-fahy]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vilify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), vil·i·fied, vil·i·fy·ing.

to speak ill of; defame; slander.

Obsolete. to make vile.

Origin of vilify

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word vīlificāre. See vile, -fy

Related formsvil·i·fi·ca·tion, nounvil·i·fi·er, nounvil·i·fy·ing·ly, adverbun·vil·i·fied, adjective

Can be confusedvilify villainize

Synonyms for vilify

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vilify ON THESAURUS.COM

1. depreciate, disparage, calumniate, malign, abuse, asperse, blacken.

Antonyms for vilify

1. commend.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vilification

obloquy, aspersion, defamation, smear, detraction, denigration, slander, lying, scandal, calumniation, traducement, calumny, vituperation, malicious

Examples from the Web for vilification

Contemporary Examples of vilification

Instead, they have unleashed a storm of nit-picking and vilification.
Niall Ferguson Defends Newsweek Cover: Correct This, Bloggers
Niall Ferguson
August 21, 2012
The good news for Canada is that these acts of vilification have been met with resounding criticism from political leaders.
Call it What You Want, "Post-Zionism" is Anti-Zionism
David Frum
March 17, 2012
Matthew Dowd, a former strategist for George W. Bush, said the GOP “wants passion and wants the vilification of the president.”
Candidates Wanted: Republicans' Void for 2012
Jill Lawrence
May 24, 2011

Historical Examples of vilification

I was naturally the chief mark for the enemy, and was deluged with vilification.
Frenzied Finance
Thomas W. Lawson
He keeps his servility sweet by preserving it in the salt of vilification.
The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays
Ambrose Bierce
All this vilification is really the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius.
Thomas Paine, The Apostle of Liberty
John E. Remsburg
Daily abuse and vilification have been his portion and reward.
'The System,' as uncovered by the San Francisco Graft Prosecution
Franklin Hichborn
I must endure slander, vilification, misunderstanding, and all that.
The Homesteader
Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for vilification

vilify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to revile with abusive or defamatory language; malignhe has been vilified in the tabloid press

rare to make vile; debase; degrade

Derived Formsvilification (ˌvɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən), nounvilifier, noun

Word Origin for vilify

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for vilification

vilify

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.