Standard Lemma guide

revile

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɹəˈvaɪl/
  • rhymes with -aɪl
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R IY0 V AY1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

reproach; reviling

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To attack (someone) with abusive language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abuse, call names, vituperate

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

spread negative information about

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vilify, vituperate, rail

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shout

History

Etymology

From Middle English revilen, from re + Old French aviler (“to make vile or cheap, disprize, disesteem”), from a- (“to”) + vil (“vile, cheap”); see vile.

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: хокане (hokane) — reproach
  • Bulgarian: ругая (rugaja) — to attack with abusive language
  • Bulgarian: хокам (hokam) — to attack with abusive language
  • Catalan: insultar — to attack with abusive language
  • Chinese Mandarin: 斥責 /斥责 (chìzé) — to attack with abusive language
  • Chinese Mandarin: 辱罵 /辱骂 (rǔmà) — to attack with abusive language
  • Chinese Mandarin: 謾罵 /谩骂 (mànmà) — to attack with abusive language
  • Czech: zlořečit — to attack with abusive language
  • Czech: nadávat — to attack with abusive language
  • Czech: hanobit — to attack with abusive language
  • Czech: spílat — to attack with abusive language
  • Czech: tupit — to attack with abusive language
  • Dutch: uitschelden — to attack with abusive language
  • Esperanto: insulti — to attack with abusive language
  • Finnish: herjata — to attack with abusive language
  • Finnish: solvata — to attack with abusive language
  • French: insulter — to attack with abusive language
  • Galician: insultar — to attack with abusive language
  • German: schmähen — to attack with abusive language
  • German: beschimpfen — to attack with abusive language
  • German: verunglimpfen — to attack with abusive language
  • German: stänkern gegen — to attack with abusive language
  • Gothic: 𐌹𐌳𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (idweitjan) — to attack with abusive language
  • Ancient Greek: λοιδορέω (loidoréō) — to attack with abusive language
  • Ancient Greek: βλασφημέω (blasphēméō) — to attack with abusive language
  • Ancient Greek: κακορροθέω (kakorrhothéō) — to attack with abusive language
  • White Hmong: cem — to attack with abusive language
  • Hungarian: ócsárol — to attack with abusive language
  • Hungarian: szidalmaz — to attack with abusive language
  • Hungarian: becsmérel — to attack with abusive language
  • Hungarian: gyaláz — to attack with abusive language
  • Hungarian: sérteget — to attack with abusive language
  • Hungarian: pocskondiáz — to attack with abusive language
  • Ido: insultar — to attack with abusive language
  • Irish: imdhearg — to attack with abusive language
  • Italian: insultare — to attack with abusive language
  • Italian: vituperare — to attack with abusive language
  • Māori: whakarihariha — to attack with abusive language
  • Polish: piętnować — to attack with abusive language
  • Polish: napiętnować — to attack with abusive language
  • Polish: lżyć — to attack with abusive language
  • Polish: zelżyć — to attack with abusive language
  • Portuguese: insultar — to attack with abusive language
  • Romanian: ocărî — to attack with abusive language
  • Romanian: huli — to attack with abusive language
  • Russian: поноси́ть (ponosítʹ) — to attack with abusive language
  • Sanskrit: पीयति (pīyati) — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: insultar — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: putear — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: injuriar — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: denigrar — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: vilipendiar — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: reprochar — to attack with abusive language
  • Spanish: denostar — to attack with abusive language
  • Swedish: smäda — to attack with abusive language
  • Swedish: skymfa — to attack with abusive language
  • Swedish: håna — to attack with abusive language
  • Swedish: åkväda — to attack with abusive language