vilify /ˈvɪl.ɪ.faɪ/(动词):诋毁,中伤,恶意贬低某人或某事的名誉。指通过言语或文字对他人进行恶意攻击,使其声誉受损。
He was vilified by the press after the scandal broke out.
丑闻曝光后,他遭到了媒体的恶意中伤。
Throughout history, many visionary thinkers were vilified by their contemporaries, only to be celebrated by later generations.
纵观历史,许多有远见的思想家曾被同时代的人诋毁,最终却被后世所推崇。
vilify 源自晚期拉丁语 vilificare,由 vilis(低贱的、廉价的)和 -ficare(使……成为)构成,字面意思是"使变得低贱"。该词于15世纪进入英语,最初含义侧重于"贬低价值",后来逐渐演变为专指"用言语恶意中伤他人"的意思。