Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To assail with scornful or abusive language; vituperate. synonym: scold.
- intransitive verb To use scornful or abusive language.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To cast reproach upon; vilify; especially, to use contemptuous or opprobrious language to; abuse; asperse.
- Synonyms To vilify, abuse, malign, lampoon, defame. (See
asperse .) The distinction of revile from these words is that it always applies to persons, is generally unjust and always improper, generally applies to what is said to or before the person affected, and makes him seem to others vile or worthless. - To act or speak abusively.
- noun Revilement; abusive treatment or language; an insult; a reproach.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- verb To address or abuse with opprobrious and contemptuous language; to reproach.
- noun obsolete Reproach; reviling.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
attack (someone) withabusive language . - noun obsolete
reproach ; reviling
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb spread negative information about
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word revile.
Examples
-
One that I particularly revile is “blood and treasure,” a favorite of warrior-politics neocons.
-
Why do you think God may have called any of these persons you so quickly dismiss and revile into ordained ministry or guided a Synod to vote for them?
Anglican Church of Canada is hawking the silverware « Anglican Samizdat 2010
-
Some of us admire them, some revile them, but most people can't imagine joining their ranks.
Jay Walljasper: Why Biking Is More Patriotic Than Flag Waving Jay Walljasper 2011
-
Some of us admire them, some revile them, but most people can't imagine joining their ranks.
Jay Walljasper: Why Biking Is More Patriotic Than Flag Waving Jay Walljasper 2011
-
It is these Right Wing talk show hosts who incessantly revile the federal bureaucrats as devils incarnate issuing unnecessary economy-strangling regulations merely to solidify their own continued employment.
Edward Flattau: Environmental Masochism Edward Flattau 2011
-
This does not mean I am against coursebooks or that I feel that using a coursebook page, albeit more creatively, is something I revile.
C is for Coursebook (by Lindsay Clandfield) « An A-Z of ELT 2010
-
NEW YORK Here's good news for New York Yankees fans — and bad news for those who revile the club as the Evil Empire: The richest club in baseball is about to get richer.
Despite financial crisis, new stadium, Yankees prosper in 2009 2009
-
Casse continues: Mr. Caplan also claims that voters revile a corporation that downsizes at home and sends jobs abroad, a business decision that most economists view as socially productive.
Do Voters' Biases Bias Policy?, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
-
The negation of the negation is something like faith revealed as lies (which is why we revile hypocritical priests and pastors so very much).
Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » Plotting for the Severely Right Brained 2009
-
It is these Right Wing talk show hosts who incessantly revile the federal bureaucrats as devils incarnate issuing unnecessary economy-strangling regulations merely to solidify their own continued employment.
Edward Flattau: Environmental Masochism Edward Flattau 2011
yarb commented on the word revile
The bone commenced to revile the fox. "You coward!" it sneered. "You odoriferous wretch!"
- William Steig, The Amazing Bone
September 29, 2008