Englishvilify
verb
the media vilified several of the election candidates:
disparage, denigrate, defame, run down, revile, berate, belittle, abuse, insult, slight, attack, speak ill of, speak evil of, pour scorn on, cast aspersions on, criticize, censure, condemn, decry, denounce, pillory, lambast;
fulminate against, rail against, inveigh against, malign, slander, libel, conduct a smear campaign against, spread lies about, blacken the name/reputation of, sully the reputation of, give someone a bad name, bring someone into disrepute, discredit, stigmatize, traduce, calumniate, impugn;
North American slur;
informal do down, do a hatchet job on, take to pieces, pull apart, throw mud at, drag through the mud, have a go at, hit out at, jump on, lay into, tear into, knock, slam, pan, bash, hammer, roast, skewer, bad-mouth, throw brickbats at;
British, informal rubbish, slag off, monster, slate;
North American, informal pummel, dump on;
Australian, New Zealand, informal bag;
archaic contemn;
rare derogate, vituperate, asperse, vilipend.
▷antonyms commend, lionize.
vilify Oxford Dictionary of English