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
  • Now with Jane Doe recanting her claims, Carter’s attorneys have filed a notice to the judge, dismissing all claims against her — though their case against her former attorney, Buzbee, still stands.
    — Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In previous orders, Kiir has alarmed observers by dismissing important officials.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Noun
  • Carlson has faced criticism for interviewing Holocaust revisionist Darryl Cooper in 2024 and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, made antisemitic comments, and praised Adolf Hitler.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The statement came only after Thomas called out the commissioner, intensifying criticism that the league had been reactive throughout the controversy.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticism
Verb
  • There is now little doubt that minimizing the damage from climate will require phasing down fossil fuels and reducing livestock herds.
    — Stephanie Walton, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
  • This unique combination maintains all-to-all connectivity while minimizing the typical pitfalls of atom movement, including error accumulation, atom loss, and runtime delays.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of minimizing
Noun
  • This appears in defenses of Macklemore’s conduct and the vilification of the owners.
    — Kenneth L. Marcus, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • But its cultural dominance became bound up in a widespread vilification of Drake that curdled online, where the most damning interpretation of anything could quickly become the accepted one.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of vilification
Verb
  • Certainly there were clear taboos, beginning with questioning the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party and criticizing the country’s central leadership.
    — Howard W. French, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • After slogans criticizing the Sacramento State administration appeared in chalk on the facade of a 64-year-old campus building earlier this week, at least one student is now facing potential disciplinary action.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 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
  • Between terrorism and global warming and diminishing natural resources, the world is out of balance.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Basic tasks like summarization, translation and drafting offer diminishing differentiation as tools become widespread.
    — Fabio Caversan, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 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 6 Oct. 2026.

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