Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To assail with scornful or abusive language; vituperate. synonym: scold.
  • intransitive verb To use scornful or abusive language.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cast reproach upon; vilify; especially, to use contemptuous or opprobrious language to; abuse; asperse.
  • Synonyms To vilify, abuse, malign, lampoon, defame. (See asperse.) The distinction of revile from these words is that it always applies to persons, is generally unjust and always improper, generally applies to what is said to or before the person affected, and makes him seem to others vile or worthless.
  • To act or speak abusively.
  • noun Revilement; abusive treatment or language; an insult; a reproach.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • verb To address or abuse with opprobrious and contemptuous language; to reproach.
  • noun obsolete Reproach; reviling.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To attack (someone) with abusive language.
  • noun obsolete reproach; reviling

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb spread negative information about

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English revilen, from Old French reviler : re-, re- + vil, vile; see vile.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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

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Examples

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  • The bone commenced to revile the fox. "You coward!" it sneered. "You odoriferous wretch!"

    - William Steig, The Amazing Bone

    September 29, 2008