as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
warned that the constant vilification of candidates for public office was undermining the people's faith in the political system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 vilification
We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants.
—
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2025
That's despite calls from agency staff for Kennedy to tone down such rhetoric after a gunman—who was influenced by vaccine misinformation and the vilification of the public health agency—sprayed the CDC campus with over 500 rounds and killed a local police officer last month.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
What often characterizes anything YIMBY in housing is a strange vilification of single-family typology as racist or classist and proposals heavy on tweaking and fussing with local land use and housing codes without addressing the feasibility and financing of housing.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In an interview with Variety published this week, Smollett spoke of his public vilification.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vilification
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2025
That's despite calls from agency staff for Kennedy to tone down such rhetoric after a gunman—who was influenced by vaccine misinformation and the vilification of the public health agency—sprayed the CDC campus with over 500 rounds and killed a local police officer last month.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
What often characterizes anything YIMBY in housing is a strange vilification of single-family typology as racist or classist and proposals heavy on tweaking and fussing with local land use and housing codes without addressing the feasibility and financing of housing.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In an interview with Variety published this week, Smollett spoke of his public vilification.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vilification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilification
Noun
-
The speech and debate clause, under Article 1, Section 6, of the Constitution, gives these members immunity from liability for defamation when reading the list of names aloud in court.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In 2023, the Move Forward Party campaigned on curbing royal powers, though efforts to reform Thailand’s draconian royal defamation law, known as lèse-majesté or Article 112, were deemed unconstitutional and led to the party’s dissolution by the Constitutional Court.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Kennedy's attorneys are claiming defamation both in the form of libel and slander, and are alleging civil conspiracy to make false accusations, along with assault, battery, and more.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Following her termination, Wise filed a lawsuit against the county alleging libel, wrongful termination and tortious interference, according to court documents.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The move comes after mounting criticism from international investors following years of power outages and disruptions for businesses in Africa’s biggest economy.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Amid relentless criticism, Bad Bunny gave us a moment in which enjoyment and pride functioned as resistance.—
Lara N. Dotson-Renta,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vilification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilification. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
