bad-mouth

verb

ˈbad-ˌmau̇th How to pronounce bad-mouth (audio)
Definition of bad-mouthnext
as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of she promptly bad-mouthed that awful movie to everyone she knew

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bad-mouth Ranting on LinkedIn and bad-mouthing your ex-employer or naming and shaming your last negative recruitment experience won’t help you either. — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 This was a departure from Mourinho and Conte, who both moaned about investment, attacked the club culture, exited unceremoniously, and bad-mouthed them afterward. — Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 Leading up to the premiere of It Ends With Us last year, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached an uneasy truce in which it was agreed that neither side would bad-mouth the other to the press. — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025 The neighbor's negative response—bad-mouthing OP to others—reflects an entitlement mindset, Sprowl noted. — Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bad-mouth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouth
  1. dismiss
  2. minimize
  3. criticize
  4. diminish
  5. disparage
  6. denigrate
  7. belittle
Verb
  • Last year, he was separately charged with making false statements to Congress, though the indictment was dismissed.
    — Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Lauder also reportedly dismissed the longtime advisors and ad makers who ran his political operation, the Times report shows.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • Nailing her intricate double front pass, Blakely performed three front-tumbling passes to minimize wear on her ankles.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Heavy-duty trucking focus The company expects the new service to help fleets lower diesel consumption, reduce operating costs, and minimize driver downtime through on-site fueling.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimize
Verb
  • Chief Critic Democratic Party consultant and former President Barack Obama’s ex-campaign adviser David Axelrod criticized the White House’s decision to use the old plane as a decoy with journalists on board.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The two lawmakers have intensely criticized Fauci over the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic for years, with Paul recently releasing diary entries penned by Fauci during the height of the pandemic.
    — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticize
Verb
  • Instead, the fresh requirements appeared to diminish prospects for a quick deal, despite optimism last week an agreement was near.
    — Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • But they’ve never been litigated — and the developments are already stoking fears of diminishing Fed independence as the central bank weighs whether to raise interest rates at its next meeting.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • But if a broadcaster publicly questions or disparages the viability of candidates, especially the front-runner, as Kevin Collins did on social media during BC’s search process, employers keep those receipts and consequences should be no surprise.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
  • It can’t be used to target a political party affiliation or to disparage members of Congress, other individuals or political parties.
    — Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of disparage
Verb
  • These are useful qualities, evolutionarily, but also ones that encourage us to take the extraordinary and very quickly denigrate it as mundane.
    — Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Paul has backed the theory that the coronavirus emerged from a lab, and has accused Fauci and other top officials of publicly downplaying and denigrating that theory, especially in the early days of the pandemic.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 29 July 2026
Definition of denigrate
Verb
  • His work has often been criticized for belittling women and invading the privacy of others.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Lestat is treated as unworthy of Akasha’s (Sheila Atim) blood and his choice to turn Louis is belittled by the table because Louis was a pimp.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of belittle

Browse Nearby Words

badly
bad-mouth
bad-mouthed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouth. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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