Meaning & use
vilify
Last updated
to say or write unfairly harsh, negative things about someone in order to damage their reputation.
See it in a sentence
The press vilified the politician long before the investigation was complete.
She felt vilified online after her comment was taken out of context.
A note on using this word
Implies the criticism is excessive or unfair, not just negative — the target is being made to look worse than they deserve.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vilify”, then compare your use with the examples above.