vilify
verb (used with object)
to speak ill of; defame; slander.
vilified
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past participleof vilify.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof vilify.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
vilifyverb (used with object)to speak ill of; defame; slander.
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.
“I always felt that way and I was especially vilified for it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Sturgeon said she was still waiting for Murrell to offer an explanation for his crimes - crimes that she said have led to her being unfairly vilified, humiliated and placed under suspicion.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
Although North Korea has relentlessly suppressed religion and vilified American missionaries, the origins of this hereditary cult are found in a surprising place: Protestant Christianity, and in particular, postbellum American Presbyterianism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
By 1996, Richard Horton, then the editor of the Lancet, the British medical journal, could marvel: “He is now perhaps the most vilified scientist alive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
She had seen her mentor Howard Fuller vilified.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
