bad-mouthing 1 of 2

noun

as in disparagement

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bad-mouthing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bad-mouth
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of she promptly bad-mouthed that awful movie to everyone she knew

Synonyms & Similar Words

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-mouthing
Verb
After filing the grievance, Chick accused Lieder of bad-mouthing her to other lawmakers. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouthing
  1. disparagement
  2. dismissing
  3. criticism
  4. minimizing
  5. vilification
  6. criticizing
  7. belittlement
  8. diminishing
Noun
  • Iamaleava could have allowed the disparagement to compound, but the starting signal-caller is using it as fuel for a 2026 season where many have the Bruins painted as a potential dark horse.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Her mother, meanwhile, is backed up by her second husband (Kwon), a mild-mannered documentary filmmaker whose profession gives his wife yet more ammunition in her smiling disparagement of Sanghee.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of disparagement
Verb
  • Petersen allegedly deferred to a male sergeant’s expertise on topics including firearms and internal affairs while dismissing Kennon’s expertise in other areas.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
  • With the commander-in-chief and defense secretary now dismissing those reports as false, Congress should require a bipartisan committee of former military members to visit the ship.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Noun
  • The decision quickly drew criticism from cattle industry organizations.
    — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • As someone who counsels and advocates for people who have been convicted of the worst crimes imaginable, Hood often faces criticism from the victims’ families.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticism
Verb
  • That’s no problem for them, because the failures occur years after the discussions, minimizing the political risk to those who voted for these misguided plans.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Patagonia, for example, has long organized itself around a commitment to minimizing its impact on the planet.
    — Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimizing
Noun
  • Founders Gary Acosta and Pedro Guerrero highlighted the paradox of Latinos being economic drivers and cultural influencers despite underrepresentation and vilification.
    — Isaac Mizrahi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • If stepping up to guide a community through a crisis risks personal and professional vilification once the lights turn on, the best and brightest will simply choose to stay on the sidelines.
    — Ronald Nahass, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of vilification
Verb
  • Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2026
  • McCain has often spoken out against the British royal family and Markle, in particular, routinely criticizing her on the Happy Hour talk series during the 2025 release of Markle’s docuseries With Love, Meghan.
    — Mariel Turner, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticizing
Noun
  • During Season 10, a newly confident Batula — who seemed to despise Cooke from the first minute of the premiere episode — appeared to be poised to launch a triumphant post-divorce arc, free at last from Cooke’s belittlement and verbal abuse.
    — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 29 June 2026
  • Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of belittlement
Verb
  • In the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, France's initial mediating role gave way to a pro-Armenia stance, alienating Baku and diminishing its leverage with Yerevan, which now increasingly favors the US.
    — Kamran Bokhari, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • During Anahulu Ho Emi, the third and final phase, the focus is diminishing, surrendering and reflecting.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminishing

Browse Nearby Words

bad-mouthed
bad-mouthing
bad-mouths
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Cite this Entry

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

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