as in to libel
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vilify
The idea that famous women tend to be either lionized or vilified certainly hasn’t grown less accurate over the past century.
—
Dorothy Fortenberry, The Atlantic, 12 May 2025
Publicly vilified for freezing during the massacre, Gerald, an ex-school resource officer, lives under a shroud of shame, questioning his will to survive.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Now, of course, politics gets involved, and the border gets less porous, and people get vilified on both sides.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025
Remaining closeted meant refusing that stake and, in the most pathetic cases, vilifying people who were just like you.
—Duane Michals Eric Jason Martin Krish Seenivasan Zak Mouton, New York Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vilify
Dorothy Fortenberry, The Atlantic, 12 May 2025
Publicly vilified for freezing during the massacre, Gerald, an ex-school resource officer, lives under a shroud of shame, questioning his will to survive.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Now, of course, politics gets involved, and the border gets less porous, and people get vilified on both sides.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025
Remaining closeted meant refusing that stake and, in the most pathetic cases, vilifying people who were just like you.
—Duane Michals Eric Jason Martin Krish Seenivasan Zak Mouton, New York Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vilify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilify
Verb
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
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As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Like Mamdani and other politicians that have held a steady opposition to Cuomo, Lander has spent plenty of time smearing the former governor.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
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As if this dramatic moment was not enough, ACT-UP member Mark Chaney took it upon himself to splash and smear several vials of a red liquid onto the door of the City Council chambers.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Ukrainians said they were subjected to beatings, electric shocks and dog attacks by Russian authorities, not only to extract information but to intimidate and humiliate them.—
Richard Engel,
NBC news,
11 June 2025
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Musk, who also owns SpaceX, had backed Isaacman, and felt betrayed and humiliated when Trump changed his mind, according to the report.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Trump’s team is working furiously to keep the bill going on other fronts, too: seeking to discredit Congress’s nonpartisan scorekeeper while savaging Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for resisting the bill and its debt ceiling increase.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
6 June 2025
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The White House has sought to discredit the CBO, but other groups have also presented estimates that conclude that the legislation would expand the U.S. government deficit by trillions of dollars.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Laura Boulton, a former Timberline High School math teacher, filed claims against both school districts in May for allegedly defaming her during her application process.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2025
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One: Stories in the media were defaming our community — especially gay men.—
Matt Alderton,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vilify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilify. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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