vilification

noun

vil·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌvi-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the act of vilifying : abuse

2

: an instance of vilifying : a defamatory utterance

Synonyms

• aspersing
• blackening
• calumniation
• calumny
• character assassination
• defamation
• defaming
• libel
• libeling
• libelling
• maligning
• slander
• smearing
• traducing
• vilifying

Examples of vilification in a Sentence

warned that the constant vilification of candidates for public office was undermining the people's faith in the political system

Recent Examples on the Web

This charge, no less than a modern-day blood libel, is just the latest attack in Amnesty's longstanding campaign of lawfare against and vilification of the State of Israel, having previously accused the Jewish state of the equally unfounded charge of apartheid. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

This leads into how President-elect Trump should not stoop to pettiness, vilification, or revenge. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024

There is a logic to Donald Trump’s dangerous pattern of false vilification which was forecasted in Eric Hoffer’s The True Believer, which revealed the effectiveness of division to fuel mass movements over history. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024

Next, the pop star, 25, opened up about how incorporating her sexuality into her work has resulted in some of the vilification that Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera have experienced over the years. —Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1