vilified

verb

past tense of vilify
as in libeled
to make untrue and harmful statements about claimed that she had been vilified by the press because of her conservative views

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of vilified But the backlash against pandemic responses, including vaccine mandates, led to the vaccines and mRNA technology being vilified by some and becoming the focus of widespread misinformation. — Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026 Durant was vilified for leaving Oklahoma City at the peak of his powers to join the ascendant dynasty in the Bay Area alongside two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green. — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 My client was incarcerated for four days, on House Arrest for 28 days, has been vilified in the community, has been harassed in school, and has faced trauma and turmoil no 15-year-old should ever have to endure. — Laura Fay, CBS News, 3 Aug. 2026 Kyrie Irving, Novak Djokovic, Aaron Rodgers, Cole Beasley, Tyler Bertuzzi, and every day Americans were relentlessly vilified for not taking an experimental drug during the pandemic. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 In The News A year after Cracker Barrel’s leadership was vilified online for changing the restaurant’s longtime logo to get rid of the old man leaning on a barrel, the CEO who was at the helm during the change is stepping down. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The trailblazer may be vilified in the moment but may not be celebrated till later. — Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 27 July 2026 Reflecting on those criticisms decades later, Davis pushed back by arguing that the narrative never excluded or vilified men despite the accusations surrounding its release. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 26 July 2026 Beckham became a national scapegoat after that match and was vilified by the British fans and media. — Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vilified
  1. smeared
  2. maligned
  3. humiliated
  4. slandered
  5. disgraced
Verb
  • Camille can still picture Burke standing over her, fake blood smeared across her dress.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There’s rarely anything as straightforward as a kick drum, a hi-hat, or even a bassline here; instead, everything is smeared, all origins occulted in a thicket of echoes and reflections.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of smeared
Verb
  • City Hall is extending the deadline for New Yorkers seeking an exemption to the highly controversial — and much maligned —pied-à-terre tax law, Mayor Mamdani announced Saturday.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Many nutrition researchers say seed oils have been unfairly maligned.
    — Maria Godoy, NPR, 21 July 2026
Definition of maligned
Verb
  • After being publicly humiliated by Daemon Targaryen and lured to switch sides (with his dragon) to the Greens by Ormund Hightower, party animal Ulf is still drunk and MIA when the battle starts.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Each action can increase the pressure on the person being humiliated.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of humiliated
Verb
  • In court filings, David Brouillette said that his second ex-wife had slandered him.
    — Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 17 July 2026
  • Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.
    — Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of slandered
Verb
  • The scenes with Congressman Daniel Keene and disgraced investigative reporter Helen Drew are especially intense.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • Shunned and disgraced, Francesca handed her baby to the nuns.
    — Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of disgraced

Browse Nearby Words

vilification
vilified
vilifies
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Cite this Entry

“Vilified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vilified. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vilified

Nglish: Translation of vilified for Spanish Speakers

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