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 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 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
  • Zhykovych’s lawyer, Anatoliy Ivanov, dismissed the allegations, telling CNN that Reut was the organizer and killer and was seeking to shift the blame onto Zhykovych.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Chauvin is looking to have his conviction vacated and the charges dismissed.
    — Riley Moser, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • Prosecutors revealed Davis’ admittedly big mouth had been opening to investigators since 1998 – only two years after Shakur was gunned down – in a series of secret interviews trying to minimize his own legal damage by giving information to the cops.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • This is intended to minimize degradation, reducing contrast decay and improving light projection reliability, ultimately extending the screen's lifespan.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimize
Verb
  • The panel has also been criticized for including vaccine opponents.
    — Claire Sibonney, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Vogel has been criticized for her initial comments about her estranged daughter’s sudden death at the age of 36.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticize
Verb
  • As more money and attention flow into the space, the challenge is how to capitalize on the cultural cachet of the Grand Slams without diminishing what made that access desirable in the first place.
    — Jessica Schiffer, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And the Ku Klux Klan, though diminished from its earlier power, had not disappeared.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • On Thursday night, the mayor drew criticism from foodies for her comments disparaging street vendors during a mayoral debate.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Webb, however, denies the allegation and takes pleasure in disparaging River and the slow horses.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of disparage
Verb
  • Some of the reason for this is rooted in a foreign influence campaign designed to denigrate America’s artificial intelligence dominance so that China, in particular, can dominate the technology and jobs of the future.
    — Letters to the Editor, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Excluded from jobs and housing, some of these new arrivals had turned to Islam as a welcoming alternative to the white society that denigrated them.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of denigrate
Verb
  • The elastic insult is meant to belittle the target as inauthentic, attention-hungry, unserious, and unmanly.
    — Erik Forrest Jackson, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Even the teammate who bestowed a belittling nickname upon him can’t wrap his head around Messick’s first year in the majors.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of belittle

Browse Nearby Words

badly
bad-mouth
bad-mouthed
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Cite this Entry

“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouth. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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