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
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
John Legend isn't about to let anyone bad-mouth the people in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2024
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
John Legend isn't about to let anyone bad-mouth the people in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouth
Verb
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Despite lacking any legal education or experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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When retail loses money, it’s often dismissed as inexperience.—
Anmol Verma,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shea butter and hyaluronic acid join coconut and Kalahari melon oils to add a surge of strand-softening hydration, minimizing shrinkage in the process.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Traders establish firm processes on when to buy and when to sell—supported with limit orders—to minimize emotional decision-making.—
Catherine Brock,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More generally, the Nepalese public criticized the government’s measures disproportionate impact on ordinary users.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Republicans on Sunday criticized some Democrats, suggesting language used by them contributed to Kirk's killing, claims that Democrats rejected.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But with Burrow now looking likely to miss the majority of the regular season, those chances look severely diminished.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
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One potential problem with this set-up is that the SCORE Act diminishes the role of state law in subject areas traditionally governed by states.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Though the phrase has been co-opted by politicians like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a pro-regime former president, to ridicule and disparage protesters, it has since been reclaimed.—
Fatemeh Jamalpour,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
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The death of Kirk – who often disparaged racial and religious minorities and the LGBTQ+ community – hasn’t been mourned by everyone.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The point here is not to denigrate the work of content creators.—
Ben Ritz,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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This is not meant to denigrate the value of escapism—or the value of the aesthetic experience any of these storytelling forms provide.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So, instead of recognition, many high-achieving women describe being met with jealousy, belittling or social isolation.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Her snide answers to their belittling questions are smart and iconoclastic, setting the stage for the other characters in the movie who also think outside the box.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouth. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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