as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the nonstop vilifying had the effect of making some people sympathetic to the victim
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in smearing
to make untrue and harmful statements about
claimed that she had been vilified by the press because of her conservative views
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insulting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of vilifying
Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Sexism and who gets labeled as the 'villain' Love triangles can also lead to vilifying the central love interest.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
But rather than vilifying or muzzling proxy advisors, a few simple changes could make the proxy process more open, fair, and thoughtful.
—Sarah Keohane Williamson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Instead of vilifying unions, the state should work with them to address the real challenges facing educators.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
There is great risk in potentially vilifying one of the most prescribed medications that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved and determined to be safe and effective for the treatment of mental illness, Brendel said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Sexism and who gets labeled as the 'villain' Love triangles can also lead to vilifying the central love interest.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
But rather than vilifying or muzzling proxy advisors, a few simple changes could make the proxy process more open, fair, and thoughtful.
—Sarah Keohane Williamson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Instead of vilifying unions, the state should work with them to address the real challenges facing educators.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilifying
Noun
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Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter and sued the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report on the letter, for defamation.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Trump has repeatedly denied writing any such letter and is suing the Journal’s parent company, publisher, reporters and owner Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion in a defamation lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Florida.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mimicking the president's style on social media, the governor has posted in all caps and employed insulting nicknames for political opponents.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
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Those found guilty of criticizing, insulting, defaming or threatening the king, queen, or heir apparent can be jailed for between three and 15 years for each count, with some sentences stretching to 50 years.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Falwell sued for invasion of privacy, libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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Harper denied the allegations, and Huizenga filed a libel lawsuit against the former contestant.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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And slandering council members, who publicly supported Madigan before Khadija Walker was nominated, is disrespectful and insulting.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And there would be lots of soldiers around, either Army or National Guard, and the people who were civilians would be young people, very disparaging about the military.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The complaint seeks at least $10 billion in damages, alleging that The Wall Street Journal knowingly published false and defamatory claims in a July 17 report.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
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Earlier this year a Delaware judge ruled that Newsmax did air defamatory statements about Dominion by falsely accusing the company of rigging the 2020 election.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That's despite calls from agency staff for Kennedy to tone down such rhetoric after a gunman—who was influenced by vaccine misinformation and the vilification of the public health agency—sprayed the CDC campus with over 500 rounds and killed a local police officer last month.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
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Frey also opposed the vilification of the transgender community after reports that the shooter was born Robert Westman.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vilifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilifying. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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