Meaning & use
villainize
Last updated
to portray or treat someone as a villain, often unfairly or with exaggeration.
See it in a sentence
The documentary was criticized for villainizing the whistleblower rather than examining the company's wrongdoing.
Social media tends to villainize public figures based on a single mistake.
A note on using this word
Closely related to 'vilify,' though 'villainize' more specifically implies casting someone in the role of a story's antagonist.
Words with a similar meaning
demonizevilify
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
exonerate
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