Meaning & use

vilify

verb·Advanced

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.

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