vilify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to speak ill of; defame; slander.
- Synonyms:
- blacken, asperse, abuse, malign, calumniate, disparage, depreciate
- Antonyms:
- commend
-
Obsolete. to make vile.
verb
-
to revile with abusive or defamatory language; malign
he has been vilified in the tabloid press
-
rare to make vile; debase; degrade
Other Word Forms
- unvilified adjective
- vilification noun
- vilifier noun
- vilifyingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of vilify
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Late Latin word vīlificāre. See vile, -fy
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.
Her boyfriend was cleared but her landlord, Christopher Jefferies, was arrested, held far longer than was customary for someone never actually charged with a crime, and vilified in the press.
In this environment, our journalists have found that their efforts to get the real story and be fair were vilified rather than appreciated.
From Salon
Greg Norman was vilified for serving as the face of LIV Golf.
“A money manager does not go from being a near nobody to being nearly universally applauded to being nearly universally vilified without some effect.”
From Literature
In a Facebook post over the weekend, the minister said he has been "vilified by those who have sought to call into question my character and commitment to the people of Northern Ireland".
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
