Reviled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Regarded with intense hatred or condemnation by others
2. Viewed with great dislike and often met with harsh criticism
3. Held in deep contempt and frequently subjected to severe disapproval

Etymology: "Reviled" is the past tense of "revile," which came into Middle English from Old French "aviler," meaning to make something vile or cheap, or to hold it in low esteem. That French verb was built from "a-," a prefix meaning "to," and "vil," meaning cheap or base, which is also the source of the English adjective "vile." So at its root, the idea is one of lowering something's value. English then added the prefix "re-," giving "revilen," which carried the sense of heaping contempt or abuse on someone. The word therefore began as a verb about reducing worth and only later settled into the modern meaning of loudly insulting or disparaging a person, though the older sense of looking down on something is still present in the core meaning of being held in strong dislike.

Synonyms: vilified, denounced, condemned, scorned, disdained

Antonyms: admired, esteemed, praised, respected, celebrated