reviled

verb

past tense of revile
as in hated
formal to speak about (someone or something) in a very critical or insulting way Many people reviled him for his callous behavior.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 reviled In the American psyche, data centers have become so reviled that big tech can’t even pay residents life changing money to welcome the facilities into their backyards. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 15 Oct. 2026 He was admired by some as a charismatic statesman who put Italy on the world stage but reviled by others as a populist who used political power for personal gain. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 But for as much as Kirk was revered on the right, he was reviled on the left, facing pushback for comments disparaging immigrants and transgender people and questioning the qualifications and capabilities of women and Black Americans. — Elena Moore, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026 The news of Jovovich’s involvement comes accompanied by confirmation of two other roles, including one of the most beloved characters and the most reviled. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 Anadol’s work was largely reviled by art critics, less for ethical reasons than aesthetic ones. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The Houthi rebels have long been backed by Iran and reviled by Saudi Arabia. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 26 July 2026 For a stock that just debuted a few weeks ago, it's fairly reviled. — Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 16 July 2026 Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reviled by some and revered by others, is set to be laid to rest after a sprawling multiday funeral ceremony planned as both a religious and a political spectacle. — Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reviled
  1. hated
  2. criticized
  3. blamed
  4. attacked
Verb
  • But Staley was hated and run out of Los Angeles after posting a 24-24 regular-season record and zero playoff wins in nearly three seasons.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Wall Street would have hated it, which may be why Yoshida never gave Wall Street the chance.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of hated
Verb
  • The article also cites Pan Jinyu, a Chinese-speaking tour guide in London, who criticized the lack of coverage by UK media.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Others criticized how quickly the store went into defensive mode.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • The city's medical examiner, Charles Norris, blamed the federal government's practice of adding toxic substances to industrial alcohol, including those involving methyl alcohol, also known as methanol, which can cause blindness and death.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Other adolescents have also suffered life-changing injuries blamed on police weaponry during protests.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of blamed
Verb
  • Authorities said John had been a special needs student at the school and had attacked a classroom with special needs students.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • On Friday, settlers attacked the village as residents, accompanied by peace activists, set out early for the harvest.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacked

Browse Nearby Words

revile
reviled
revilement
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reviled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reviled. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All