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
He also bad-mouths my son’s wife.
—
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026
At one point, Brown stepped away from the set, and co-stars Antoni Porowski, Tan France and Jonathan van Ness began bad-mouthing him behind his back, while his mom heard the whole conversation, according to TMZ.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026
At one point, Brown stepped away from the set, and co-stars Antoni Porowski, Tan France and Jonathan van Ness began bad-mouthing him behind his back, while his mom heard the whole conversation, according to TMZ.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouth
Verb
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The judge also dismissed a criminal charge related to possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine, according to Reuters and ABC News.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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On Wednesday, federal prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss all charges in the case, citing new video evidence.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Verb
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This can minimize cooling efficiency by making the unit work harder to bypass the clog, cause water damage from an overflowing drain pan, and even trigger respiratory issues from mold and mildew growth.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
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The Environment Monwana was built with the vision of being a leading eco-conscious lodge, with integrated renewable energy sources, highly efficient heating and cooling systems, and smart technology that would minimize its environmental footprint.—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, sharply criticized the circumstances surrounding the whale’s death.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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Plenty of those who populate that category are championed instead of criticized.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Verb
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The weight that was added to the structure over its lifetime diminished the building’s margins against failure, the report said.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
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Louden points out that sometimes an English word strengthens and diversifies the Pennsylvania Dutch lexicon rather than diminishes it.—
Eythana Miller,
The Dial,
23 June 2026
Verb
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But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Is The Vivisectors disparaging this sort of ’emptied’ novel, or attempting to give it newfound spiritual relevance?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
Verb
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None of this is said to denigrate Slot, Liverpool’s decision-makers or the use of data in football recruitment.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
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As a result, the neo-Brandeisian network played an important role in promoting Lynn’s allies and denigrating competing candidates.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Trump, on the other hand, belittles and degrades people every day.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
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Many builders see critics or writers such as myself as takers, drafting off of their hard work and effort only to belittle it.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouth. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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