as in libel
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the nonstop vilifying had the effect of making some people sympathetic to the victim
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as in insulting
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as in libeling
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 vilifying
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Southern Poverty Law Center has determined RAIR Foundation is an anti-Muslim hate group promoting conspiracy theories and vilifying American Muslim communities.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2026
Orbán began vilifying the EU, often comparing Brussels to the Soviet Union, even while receiving huge amounts of EU money and resisting pressure to reverse democratic backsliding.
—Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2026
Orbán began vilifying the EU, often comparing Brussels to the Soviet Union, even while receiving massive amounts of EU money, and resisting pressure to reverse democratic backsliding.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
That said, Boutboul cautions against vilifying the whole of the fast food industry in France, asserting that there’s a big difference between American and French fast food.
—Vivian Song, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
Even as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is vilifying his texting buddy for killing Ali Khamenei, Iranians in New York (and London, Los Angeles and around the world) are dancing with joy in the streets.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Judge Salas told us vilifying judges is eroding trust in the courts.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Newsom has manifested this weird love-hate relationship with oil, craving it in the short-term to keep California running while vilifying its manufacturers as the architects of our climate change crisis.
—Tom Philp, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
These efforts apparently relied on a mix of sock-puppet accounts across social media platforms, which promoted the spurious claims of vilifying websites.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Southern Poverty Law Center has determined RAIR Foundation is an anti-Muslim hate group promoting conspiracy theories and vilifying American Muslim communities.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2026
Orbán began vilifying the EU, often comparing Brussels to the Soviet Union, even while receiving huge amounts of EU money and resisting pressure to reverse democratic backsliding.
—Sam McNeil, Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2026
Orbán began vilifying the EU, often comparing Brussels to the Soviet Union, even while receiving massive amounts of EU money, and resisting pressure to reverse democratic backsliding.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
That said, Boutboul cautions against vilifying the whole of the fast food industry in France, asserting that there’s a big difference between American and French fast food.
—Vivian Song, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
Even as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is vilifying his texting buddy for killing Ali Khamenei, Iranians in New York (and London, Los Angeles and around the world) are dancing with joy in the streets.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Judge Salas told us vilifying judges is eroding trust in the courts.
—Heather Abbott, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Newsom has manifested this weird love-hate relationship with oil, craving it in the short-term to keep California running while vilifying its manufacturers as the architects of our climate change crisis.
—Tom Philp, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilifying
Noun
-
Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit against the Times on December 31, 2024.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
-
The judge also dismissed a libel suit Baldoni filed against the New York Times.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Alex Jenkinson, 39, is accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior toward the former prince, whose royal titles were removed last year by King Charles III due to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
In a February 2025 meeting, Grimes made profane and insulting comments to another Uber lawyer, the filing said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Those efforts resulted in criminal charges against Giuliani in two states and a defamation lawsuit from election workers in Georgia.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
And, Liman noted, there’s a high bar for public figures to sue for defamation even if there were false statements.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.—
George Harris,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The pigment lasts all day without smearing.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Leadership was abusive, inappropriate and demeaning, employees told The Denver Post.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Underneath it, the authors of the flyer listed a few dubious talking points maligning immigrants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Angel went for a respectful middle-of-the-road jab — complimenting her parenting and resilience, but maligning her for being petty.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Shocking lies Within hours, the administration was slandering her.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
17 Jan. 2026
-
And then the media was slandering our dad’s name and reputation after a lifetime of being a fairly wholesome guy.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Kim’s vilification of the South has been a major setback for Seoul’s liberal government, which desires reengagement and has taken preemptive steps to ease tensions, including shutting down propaganda broadcasts along the border.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 May 2026
-
For example, the ADL contends that vilification of Zionism — the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel — is a form of antisemitism, yet some Jews are among the critics of Zionism and of the ADL itself.—
David Crary,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vilifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilifying. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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