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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insulting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilifying
Noun
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The case found Greenpeace liable for defamation and trespassing.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2025 -
After a federal court dismissed the lawsuit in 2019, Energy Transfer filed a defamation lawsuit in state court.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Formula One's governing body, the FIA, has categorized certain actions and behaviors as 'misconduct,' which include insulting or inappropriate language and gestures.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
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Meghan’s infamous mock curtsy, which was seen as insulting… was [a] low point.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
Fox News,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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On New Year’s Eve, Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs, including crisis publicist Melissa Nathan and Abel sued the New York Times for $250 million for libel.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2025
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The pivotal addition to the the state Civil Code reads: Existing law provides that libel is a false and unprivileged written publication that injures the reputation and that slander is a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered, that injures the reputation, as specified.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And the system was routinely demeaning and dismissive.—
Sarah Lustbader,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
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While handcuffing and removing the belts and shoelaces of deportees is standard practice in this type of operation, both Oquendo and Barrientos feel they were treated in a demeaning way by US immigration officials, especially when boarding the military flight in the early hours of Sunday.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.—
Emily DeLetter,
The Enquirer,
10 May 2023
Noun
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Why is the American state so susceptible to vilification?—
Jon D. Michaels,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Aug. 2017
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Businesses benefiting from minority funding programs are also in line to experience the shockwaves of the President’s vilification of what fellow conservatives view as the infiltration of wokeism into American culture and politics necessitating an end to policies promoting affirmative action.—
Gus Alexiou,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In Britain, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist who was jailed for 18 months in October for repeating a libelous claim about a Syrian refugee schoolboy attacking girls.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA TODAY,
7 Jan. 2025
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Robinson was sentenced late last year to a year and a half in prison due to violating a court order prohibiting him from repeating libelous allegations about a Syrian refugee, and Musk has been calling for his release.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Vilifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilifying. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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