vilifying 1 of 3

noun

Definition of vilifyingnext
as in defamation
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

vilifying

2 of 3

adjective

as in insulting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

vilifying

3 of 3

verb

present participle of vilify
as in smearing
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilifying
  1. defamation
  2. insulting
  3. libel
  4. demeaning
  5. disparaging
  6. vilification
  7. libelous
  8. discrediting
Noun
  • And inside Disney’s C-suites on the Burbank lot, there was a feeling of déjà vu thanks to a looming defamation lawsuit filed in March by former and incoming President Donald Trump, a far more powerful and strident adversary than a South Dakota food processor.
    Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Seth Stern, director of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said Trump and his political allies have used consumer protection laws as a workaround when defamation lawsuits aren't as feasible.
    Elahe Izadi, arkansasonline.com, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of defamation
Adjective
  • Arizona State football fans slam 'truly insulting' College Football Playoff graphic Winter swoon: December has not been kind to Phoenix Suns in recent years The vehicle backed out of the driveway and into the road.
    Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The dawning of his second term has invoked jubilation from those who welcome Trump back to the Oval Office and fear from those alarmed by his insulting rhetoric about political opponents, the media, migrants and others.
    Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Nov. 2024
Definition of insulting
Noun
  • Williams sued the tabloid for libel and won damages as well as an apology.
    Shyla Watson, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Many referred to the Gooding vs. Swan libel case as the Littlehampton Letters.
    Rendy Jones, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2024
Definition of libel
Adjective
  • Residents suddenly realized that Trump’s demeaning rhetoric about Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants could extend to them.
    Julia Preston, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2024
  • Even by his already demeaning standards, Trump's rallies and events have also taken a dark turn this fall.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Definition of demeaning
Adjective
  • The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.
    Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.
    Emily DeLetter, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023
Definition of disparaging
Noun
  • 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
Definition of vilification
Adjective
  • Any accusation that Israel's objective was to starve innocent civilians—rather than to compel the surrender of Hamas combatants—is not merely unfounded but a libelous distortion of the truth.
    Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Newspapers also worried about potentially libelous posts.
    Mike Savino, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2024
Definition of libelous
Verb
  • Many of the conspiracy theories have prompted FEMA to create a page on its site discrediting rumors and false information about its response to Hurricane Helene.
    Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2024
  • Still, the United States didn’t recognize Haiti as a nation until 1862, during the Civil War, when American leadership was looking for any support in discrediting slavery.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Definition of discrediting
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near vilifying

vilify

vilifying

vilipend

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Cite this Entry

“Vilifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilifying. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vilifying

Nglish: Translation of vilifying for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of vilifying for Arabic Speakers

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