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
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
  • Asserting claims for tortious interference, civil conspiracy, commercial disparagement and violations of Illinois consumer fraud laws, the Butlers sought more than $50 million in compensatory damages and over $200 million in punitive damages.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 2026
  • These disparagements cut to the core of southern manhood.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Definition of disparagement
Verb
  • After dismissing Cora and his staff, the Red Sox have surged back into playoff contention with the trade deadline looming.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • De Vries barely looked at it, dismissing the message as spam or phishing without reading past the first few lines.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of dismissing
Noun
  • Morgan has spent months answering the criticism that her title reign leans on Judgment Day interference, and WWE gave her the finish without a single outside assist at the 100-day mark of the reign.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick also leveled criticism at Wasserman Schultz, who lives in Weston.
    — Joan Murray, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticism
Verb
  • Key decision-makers did not make sufficient use of the extensive expertise across the Defense Department to guide the Israeli military on how make gains against Hamas while minimizing civilian harm in Gaza’s dense urban environments.
    — Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Below, Forbes Human Resources Council members share strategies for encouraging healthier peer feedback while minimizing conflict and fostering a more collaborative workplace.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimizing
Noun
  • His one talent was his ability to foresee that the vilification of ambitious and successful people might lead to the political mass resentment and hatred for such individuals.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026
  • As vilification of the Founders and the Revolution became more common, both in academia and in society at large, Wood functioned as part elder statesman and part lightning rod.
    — Craig Bruce Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of vilification
Verb
  • After the match, British politicians and fans took to social media to vent their anger, helping amplify a wave of online posts criticizing both Argentina and its national team, digital researchers said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Rather than responding to detailed questions for this story, Sarnecki issued a statement criticizing wasteful government spending.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 31 July 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
  • Plants and animals keenly sense the diminishing light, which acts as a master biological clock that triggers changes such as migration, shifting hormone levels and winter coat growth.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Without diminishing that aspect of music, Musical Bodies rightly situates as much meaning in the objects themselves.
    — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 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 7 Aug. 2026.

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