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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insulting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in libeling
to make untrue and harmful statements about
claimed that she had been vilified by the press because of her conservative views
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vilifying
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
This riveting two-part docuseries preceded the fictional take seen in The Girl From Plainville, taking an unprejudiced and empathetic approach when exploring the complex case, presenting all the facts without vilifying one individual.
—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Facebook ads vilifying or praising various measures.
—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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
Verb
Judge Salas told us vilifying judges is eroding trust in the courts.
—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
This riveting two-part docuseries preceded the fictional take seen in The Girl From Plainville, taking an unprejudiced and empathetic approach when exploring the complex case, presenting all the facts without vilifying one individual.
—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Facebook ads vilifying or praising various measures.
—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilifying
Noun
-
Baldoni, who denied the allegations, filed a gargantuan defamation suit for $400 million against Lively and her camp, as well as a $250 million libel suit against The New York Times’ coverage of the claims.
-
Sabellico sued him for libel, arguing those comments were malicious and defamatory.
Adjective
-
Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
-
What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
Verb
-
At the entrance of Kollparay, Quispe pauses, taking my hands and smearing them with soil—the soil of her village.
-
This will lead to smearing dust particles around instead of picking them up, which is where a wet cloth comes into play.
Noun
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That case requires a public official claiming defamation to prove the defendant knew their statement was false at the time or demonstrated reckless disregard of its falsity, a standard known as actual malice.
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Carroll sued Trump shortly thereafter, accusing him of defamation.
Adjective
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Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.
-
Some of the women interviewed for the article claimed that Platner could be demeaning to women and, in at least one case, even physically threatening.
Verb
-
Policymakers defend draconian cuts to Medicaid by maligning the work ethic or honesty of low-income women, despite substantial evidence to the contrary.
-
Underneath it, the authors of the flyer listed a few dubious talking points maligning immigrants.
Noun
-
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.
-
After defeating Chwalinska in straight sets, Andreeva took time at the end of her acceptance speech to speak Russian, seemingly in defiance of the vilification due to her ethnic heritage by the tennis governing bodies and opposing players.
Adjective
-
Felix points to Trump’s disparaging and false comments against Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, which put a target on the back of many Haitian immigrants.
-
While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.
Cite this Entry
“Vilifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilifying. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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