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
-
Instead, this just looks like virtue signaling to justify his controversial move to Baton Rouge, which is insulting to people actually affected by what the University of Mississippi represents.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
The 39-year-old man from Stowmarket, Suffolk, was charged with two counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior to harass, cause alarm or distress and failing to provide a blood specimen in custody.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Repeatedly, these men fail, largely because posts like Rajala’s are considered opinions protected by the First Amendment and defamation laws in states like Illinois.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
-
Baldoni, 42, denied her claims and filed a countersuit accusing Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of defamation, igniting a public back-and-forth that was set to culminate in a federal trial beginning May 18.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
16 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
-
And always these massacres were preceded by vilification, by slanders.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Vilifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilifying. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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