Reviles

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Expresses intense hatred or contempt toward a person or thing
2. Speaks with harsh criticism or abuse against someone or something
3. Utters words that strongly dislike or insult a subject

Etymology: "Reviles" is the third-person singular present form of "revile," which means to abuse someone with scornful, insulting language. The verb traces back to Old French "aviler," meaning to make something vile or cheap, to lower its worth or disrespect it. That French verb was built from "a-," meaning "to," and "vil," meaning cheap or base, which is the same root that gave English the word "vile." English borrowed the verb in Middle English as "revilen," with the prefix "re-" added to the French stem. The original idea was one of degrading: to reduce a person's standing by treating them as worthless. The sense of verbal abuse grew out of that act of cheapening someone in words, so a reviler is in effect trying to make the target look valueless.

Synonyms: vilifies, denounces, condemns

Antonyms: praises, applauds