vilify
verb /ˈvɪlɪfaɪ/
/ˈvɪlɪfaɪ/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they vilify | /ˈvɪlɪfaɪ/ /ˈvɪlɪfaɪ/ |
| he / she / it vilifies | /ˈvɪlɪfaɪz/ /ˈvɪlɪfaɪz/ |
| past simple vilified | /ˈvɪlɪfaɪd/ /ˈvɪlɪfaɪd/ |
| past participle vilified | /ˈvɪlɪfaɪd/ /ˈvɪlɪfaɪd/ |
| -ing form vilifying | /ˈvɪlɪfaɪɪŋ/ /ˈvɪlɪfaɪɪŋ/ |
- to say or write unpleasant things about somebody/something so that other people will have a low opinion of them
- vilify somebody/something A campaign was mounted to vilify the leaders of the organization.
- She has been vilified and misunderstood by her community.
- vilify somebody/something as something They were vilified by the press as ‘international terrorists’.
- vilify somebody/something for (doing) something We shouldn't vilify people for being successful.
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘lower in value’): from late Latin vilificare, from Latin vilis ‘of low value’.