bad-mouthing 1 of 2

noun

as in disparagement

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bad-mouthing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bad-mouth
as in dismissing
to express scornfully one's low opinion of she promptly bad-mouthed that awful movie to everyone she knew

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bad-mouthing
Verb
After filing the grievance, Chick accused Lieder of bad-mouthing her to other lawmakers. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2026 At one point, Brown stepped away from the set, and co-stars Antoni Porowski, Tan France and Jonathan van Ness began bad-mouthing him behind his back, while his mom heard the whole conversation, according to TMZ. — Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026 Most of the people who were bad-mouthing Titanic had not seen so much as a minute of film. — Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025 Ranting on LinkedIn and bad-mouthing your ex-employer or naming and shaming your last negative recruitment experience won’t help you either. — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouthing
  1. disparagement
  2. dismissing
  3. criticism
  4. minimizing
  5. vilification
  6. criticizing
  7. belittlement
  8. diminishing
Noun
  • Iamaleava could have allowed the disparagement to compound, but the starting signal-caller is using it as fuel for a 2026 season where many have the Bruins painted as a potential dark horse.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Her mother, meanwhile, is backed up by her second husband (Kwon), a mild-mannered documentary filmmaker whose profession gives his wife yet more ammunition in her smiling disparagement of Sanghee.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of disparagement
Verb
  • William Roberson Anyone dismissing the Slingshot (in any form) on practicality grounds is missing the point by a light year or two - the Slingshot makes a Miata seem like a spacious minivan.
    — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • She was especially hurt that some of the people who criticized Cox most harshly, dismissing him as craven and disingenuous, were those who had the closest relationships with him.
    — McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Noun
  • But the lobbyist has doubled down on her criticism of McCuskey in a recent letter to Illinois’ four top legislative leaders and obtained by the Tribune.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The sharpest criticism of the deal came from Venezuelan opposition figures, who argue that a caretaker administration installed after a foreign military operation has no standing to sign away a century of oil rights.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticism
Verb
  • What makes a roster a championship roster is scheming by accentuating the strengths and minimizing the weaknesses.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The yearlong closure allowed the park district to address multiple infrastructure needs at once, minimizing the disruption that would have resulted from completing the work over several seasons, according to officials.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimizing
Noun
  • Founders Gary Acosta and Pedro Guerrero highlighted the paradox of Latinos being economic drivers and cultural influencers despite underrepresentation and vilification.
    — Isaac Mizrahi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • If stepping up to guide a community through a crisis risks personal and professional vilification once the lights turn on, the best and brightest will simply choose to stay on the sidelines.
    — Ronald Nahass, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of vilification
Verb
  • Republican lawmaker Carl DeMaio of San Diego has vocalized his opposition in discussions of the bill, criticizing the idea of providing funding to outlets that make political endorsements.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Yiannopoulos rose to prominence through his provocative statements criticizing political correctness, feminism and Islam.
    — Chris Arnold, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticizing
Noun
  • During Season 10, a newly confident Batula — who seemed to despise Cooke from the first minute of the premiere episode — appeared to be poised to launch a triumphant post-divorce arc, free at last from Cooke’s belittlement and verbal abuse.
    — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 29 June 2026
  • Apolline may embrace the social media aspects of her career but George’s belittlement rankles her.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of belittlement
Verb
  • But the war’s unintended consequences have spread far beyond the Middle East, affecting global security, diminishing America’s global standing, and potentially providing its adversaries with an opportunity to expand their influence.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • As more money and attention flow into the space, the challenge is how to capitalize on the cultural cachet of the Grand Slams without diminishing what made that access desirable in the first place.
    — Jessica Schiffer, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminishing

Browse Nearby Words

bad-mouthed
bad-mouthing
bad-mouths
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Cite this Entry

“Bad-mouthing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouthing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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