badmouth

B3A1D2M3O1U1T1H4
/ˈbæd.maʊθ/

verb

To criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully.

Similar
censurereprovebelittledenigrateadmonishanimadvertbashbawl out
OriginMande ← vai ← Mandinka [Term?] →
RareScrabble 16
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Meanings

verbbadmouth (third-person singular simple present badmouths, present participle badmouthing, simple past and past participle badmouthed)

present singular third person badmouths · participle present badmouthing · participle past badmouthed · past badmouthed · alternative bad-mouth

  1. informaltransitiveTo criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully.

    […] those cross-Atlantic aficionados who persistently idolize the British theater and bad-mouth Broadway.

    1987 August 30, Benedict Nightingale, “Theater: England's Endless Love Affair with Farce”, in The New York Times, retrieved 22 Jul 2013
    1 more example

    He also believed that Mr. Altman was bad-mouthing the board to OpenAI executives, two people with knowledge of the situation said.

    2023 December 9, Tripp Mickle, Cade Metz, Mike Isaac, Karen Weise, “Inside OpenAI’s Crisis Over the Future of Artificial Intelligence”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    Synonyms: censure, reprove, belittle, denigrate, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully.

Similar
censurereprovebelittledenigrateadmonishanimadvertbashbawl outtiltclobbercannonadeslashlashblamescorchblastberateberispcastigatecensure

More synonyms by meaning

verbspeak unfavorably about

Similar
maligntraducedrag through the mud
Broader
defameslandersmirch
Also see
asperseassassinatebackbitebefoulbelibelbesmearbesmirchbewraybitchblackenblameblazeblemishblotblurcalumniatecalumnychat shitclouddefamedemonizedenigratedepravedepreciatedetractdirtydisreputedissdrag through the mudforgabforspeakfoulinfamizelampoonlibelmalignmonsterizemuddyreproachscandalshit talksmearspatterspeak ill ofspotstabstainsullytalk shittalk shitetalk trashtorchtraducetrash-talkunflattervilifyvilipendvillainizewrong

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Gullah[Term?]
  2. Mandinka[Term?]
  3. vai
  4. Mande
  5. Englishbadmouth

Calque of a Mande term, perhaps Vai [Term?] or Mandinka [Term?], which entered English via Gullah [Term?]. Compare Japanese 悪口(わるぐち) (waruguchi, “badmouthing”), which is a compound of 悪(わる) (waru, “bad, wicked”) and 口(くち) (kuchi, “mouth”).

More words from Mande, vai, Mandinka

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bengali গীবত গাওয়া
  • গীবত গাওয়া (gibot gaōẇa)to criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Catalan malparlar
  • malparlarto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Dutch kwaadspreken
  • kwaadsprekento criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Finnish panetella, puhua pahaa
  • panetellato criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • puhua pahaato criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
French dénigrer, déprécier
  • dénigrerto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • déprécierto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • débinerto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
German schlechtreden, schlechtmachen
  • schlechtredento criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • schlechtmachento criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Italian sparlare, parlare male
  • sparlareto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • parlare maleto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Japanese 悪口
  • 悪口 (waruguchi)to criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Polish obgadywać, obgadać
  • obgadywaćto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • obgadaćto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • obmawiaćto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • obmówićto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • szkalowaćto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • oszkalowaćto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • wieszać psyto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • obrzucać błotemto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • obrzucić błotemto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Portuguese falar mal
  • falar malto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Romanian ponegri
  • ponegrito criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Russian черни́ть, поро́чить
  • черни́ть (černítʹ)to criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • поро́чить (poróčitʹ)to criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • матери́ть (materítʹ)to criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
  • обли́вать гря́зью (oblívatʹ grjázʹju)to criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Swahili sengenya
  • sengenyato criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Swedish tala illa om
  • tala illa omto criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully
Cite this entry
APA

badmouth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/badmouth

MLA

“badmouth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/badmouth. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “badmouth,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/badmouth.

Source: badmouth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.