as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
she promptly bad-mouthed that awful movie to everyone she knew
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Recent Examples of bad-mouth
Most of the people who were bad-mouthing Titanic had not seen so much as a minute of film.
—
Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
This is not some glossy revisionist history of a person’s life; the man had a beautiful soul who didn’t have it in him to bad-mouth a cockroach.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025
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
The vulnerable Mayfair he’s sent to woo is new character Moira, who’s been getting on everybody’s nerves by bad-mouthing Lasher for second-degree murdering her sister Tessa.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2025
Apparently, Sue has been putting all of her time not already occupied by bad-mouthing Kyle into digging under rocks and cliffs looking for idols.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
This is not some glossy revisionist history of a person’s life; the man had a beautiful soul who didn’t have it in him to bad-mouth a cockroach.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025
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
The vulnerable Mayfair he’s sent to woo is new character Moira, who’s been getting on everybody’s nerves by bad-mouthing Lasher for second-degree murdering her sister Tessa.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2025
Apparently, Sue has been putting all of her time not already occupied by bad-mouthing Kyle into digging under rocks and cliffs looking for idols.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouth
Verb
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Venables was dismissed early in the next campaign following three straight defeats, but Lineker went on to net another 20 times that season, helping win the Copa del Rey under Luis Aragones.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Court rules don't allow plaintiffs to submit additional evidence to counter a motion to dismiss, Alex said.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Joining the Textile Exchange as a partner will help Crystal International to expand the adoption of preferred sustainable alternatives in materials and manufacturing processes that will allow the company to minimize its environmental impact.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Machines precisely handle delicate greens, avoiding bruising, while intelligent logistics optimize shipping routes to minimize delays and fuel use.—
William Jones,
Freep.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In recent months, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has repeatedly criticized Tucker Carlson.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Trump announced plans to impose an additional 10% tariff on Canada on Saturday over a TV ad featuring footage of former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Adopting China’s position in this way would be a blunder, diminishing Taiwan’s resolve to resist Chinese aggression and coercion.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
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Social media feeds can lead people toward the dark side with negative content or content that can diminish self-esteem.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While talking about his upcoming big-screen role in Marty Supreme, O’Leary disparaged background actors as expendable to the artistic process.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
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The texts, verified by Politico through multiple participants, also show Ingrassia using slurs and disparaging remarks toward Black and Asian people, as well as expressing admiration for controversial far-right figures.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The publication is choosing to praise Trump slightly while denigrating his appearance as well.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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That’s not to denigrate Punch, which is solidly built and well-meaning without sanctimony.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Link was captured on Ring camera footage mocking and belittling Jimenez after shooting him, Bergida said.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
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That conflict comes to a head in the middle of campus in the film’s most intense scene, as Alma verbally belittles and demeans her until Maggie snaps and suddenly smacks her mentor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouth. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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