as in libeled
to make untrue and harmful statements about
claimed that she had been vilified by the press because of her conservative views
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Recent Examples of vilified
Some of those who dared to express even a whisper of relief at his death were vilified online and arrested.
—
Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
One player made a scene on the field, vilified police, downplayed crime, wore a Fidel Castro T-shirt in the locker room, disrespected law enforcement and the military, and wore socks depicting cops as pigs during practice.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Prosecutors alleged that China was vilified for wanting simple things like food and water.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
On both occasions, an adult denied a kid a baseball and was caught on camera doing so, and both were vilified on social media for their actions.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
His presence will also mean that dinner guest lists are closely-watched, with CBS News planning to bring Secretary Pete Hegseth (who has vilified media coverage in press briefings), while the influencer Clavicular is expected to make the rounds as well.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Much of Orbán’s campaign vilified neighboring Ukraine.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Pat Fitzgerald was vilified, then vindicated.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Another signature initiative, the fact-checking news service BBC Verify, is routinely vilified by right-wing news outlets.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
One player made a scene on the field, vilified police, downplayed crime, wore a Fidel Castro T-shirt in the locker room, disrespected law enforcement and the military, and wore socks depicting cops as pigs during practice.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Prosecutors alleged that China was vilified for wanting simple things like food and water.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
On both occasions, an adult denied a kid a baseball and was caught on camera doing so, and both were vilified on social media for their actions.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
His presence will also mean that dinner guest lists are closely-watched, with CBS News planning to bring Secretary Pete Hegseth (who has vilified media coverage in press briefings), while the influencer Clavicular is expected to make the rounds as well.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Much of Orbán’s campaign vilified neighboring Ukraine.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Pat Fitzgerald was vilified, then vindicated.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Another signature initiative, the fact-checking news service BBC Verify, is routinely vilified by right-wing news outlets.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilified
Verb
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The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top.—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
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The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top.—
Laura Ungar,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, the much maligned CanCon has proven one of the few barriers to total American media dominance that Canada (a nation where the vast majority of the population live within miles of the border) has been able to put in place.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
21 May 2026
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Jarrett Allen, much maligned for past playoff struggles, dominated the Pistons with 23 points, seven rebounds, completely outmatching Detroit’s Jalen Duren.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
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Villanova humiliated UConn, winning 81-61, after building out a 31-point lead.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In recent years, Bilton produced documentaries about business and technology for Netflix and HBO, including a film about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
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Jordan and McClintock also bashed Hayden for continuing the anti-immigration enforcement policies of his predecessor, disgraced former DA Rachel Rollins, who is now running for reelection to reclaim her DA title.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vilified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilified. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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