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.
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Recent Examples of reviled
Newsom is widely reviled here for cutting back on oil drilling and not prioritizing new reservoirs to store water for thirsty farms.
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Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Stone and Lanthimos have since worked together several times, and their collaboration, a mutual-favoritism society, has been hailed and sometimes reviled for its darkly exuberant sense of risk.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Can someone in demand really be that widely reviled?
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
Resorting to an omnibus is now common, even though it is reviled by many rank-and-file lawmakers who resent being deprived of the ability to resist individual spending provisions without derailing the sole vehicle for averting a shutdown.
—Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
In southern Gaza, the Abu Shabab militia is widely reviled, and Abu Shabab’s own family has disassociated itself from him and called for his death.
—Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025
Paradise lost Alaska and Crimea remain linked in some ways today, both viewed as historic Russian regions lost by weak leaders – Yeltsin, the first president of independent Russia, is reviled for recognizing Crimea as part of Ukraine after the USSR collapsed.
—Dan Morrison, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Today, Israel has rarely been as isolated or as reviled by its critics.
—Marc Champion, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
These weapons are reviled among human rights advocacy organizations and can have lasting civilian impacts.
—Ellie Cook, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reviled
Verb
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Christian Braun hated the view from the sideline.—
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The pioneers of punk music did it because the mainstream crowd hated it.—
Verb
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Officials originally proposed upgrading the city’s largest cricket stadium, The Gabba, to accommodate the Games, though the project’s price tag was heavily criticized.—
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A number of head coaches leading teams at AFCON 2025 in Morocco have criticized the changes to the tournament’s schedule, arguing that AFCON’s current two-year cycle is ideal for the development of African football and related infrastructure.—
Verb
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Authorities quickly blamed the residents and threatened to tear down their homes.—
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Rather, many Iranians instead blamed the leadership for either provoking the conflict or failing to meaningfully defend the country from Israeli – or American – bombs.—
Verb
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Crabtree stopped, turned, attacked the ball and snagged it.—
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Nelson claimed to police that the man attacked her and their son after opening the car door.—
Cite this Entry
“Reviled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reviled. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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