1 vilification | Definition of vilification

vilification

noun
vil·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion | \ ˌvi-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce vilification (audio) \

Definition of vilification

1 : the act of vilifying : abuse
2 : an instance of vilifying : a defamatory utterance

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of vilification in a Sentence

warned that the constant vilification of candidates for public office was undermining the people's faith in the political system

Recent Examples on the Web

China’s relentless campaign of vilification against Mr. Lai took a particularly nasty turn last week when his name was purged from the genealogical records of his family across the border in southern China. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, "A Hong Kong ‘Troublemaker’ With a Clean Conscience," 23 Aug. 2019 Reputation from 2017 was true to its title, with multiple points of reflection on the public court of opinion and the vilification that comes from facing its presumptive jurors — and similar frustrations emerge early on Swift’s seventh album, Lover. Larry Fitzmaurice, EW.com, "Lover is pure Taylor Swift, at her most content and confident," 23 Aug. 2019 This vilification campaign is not happening in an isolated environment. Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "Getting trolled is a small price to pay to get information out of Kashmir, says activist Shehla Rashid," 22 Aug. 2019 Israel faces threats not only from Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas, but also from campaigns of vilification, delegitimization, incitement, boycott and divestment, and anti-Semitism. Matthew Continetti, National Review, "Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel’s Longest-Serving Prime Minister," 20 July 2019 Democrats responded with appropriate outrage to Trump’s vilification of dissenters with different skin colors along with his draconian policies of mass deportation and separating migrant children from their families. Los Angeles Times, "Column: Democrats are in danger of falling into Trump’s trap on immigration," 21 July 2019 At the conference yesterday Clooney also spoke more generally about the vilification of journalists, the effects of which can be deadly. Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Amal Clooney Has Some Choice Words for President Trump," 11 July 2019 But some Millennial pundits ignored that landmark, eager to highlight allegations of impropriety and subject Zeffirelli’s legacy to the routine vilification of the #MeToo era. Armond White, National Review, "Franco Zeffirelli: Unlikely Conservative Hero," 20 June 2019 That vilification has spawned a widespread distrust of the discipline itself, so much so that neighboring Arab Gulf states seldom issue visas to Iraqi scientists to attend regional conferences or workshops. Peter Schwartzstein, Smithsonian, "How Saddam and ISIS Killed Iraqi Science," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vilification.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of vilification

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more