defamation

noun

def·​a·​ma·​tion ˌde-fə-ˈmā-shən 

law

: the act of communicating false statements about a person that injure the reputation of that person : the act of defaming another : calumny

defamation of character

a defamation lawsuit

defamatory

di-ˈfa-mə-tȯr-ē 

dē-

adjective

Did you know?

Harming someone's reputation in speech with falsehoods is known as slander, and doing the same thing in writing is known as libel (which sometimes includes speech as well). Any ordinary citizen who can claim to have suffered harm as a result of such defamation may sue. So why aren't politicians suing all the time? Because an exception is made for "public persons" (a category that includes most other celebrities as well), who must also prove that any such statement was made with "reckless disregard for the truth". And although, even by that standard, public persons are defamed all the time, most of them have decided that it's better to just grin and bear it.

Synonyms

• aspersing
• blackening
• calumniation
• calumny
• character assassination
• defaming
• libel
• libeling
• libelling
• maligning
• slander
• smearing
• traducing
• vilification
• vilifying

Examples of defamation in a Sentence

The article was full of lies and defamations.

accused the newspaper columnist of defamation of character

Recent Examples on the Web

Thursday Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Washington, DC, on a motion to hold him in contempt related to a defamation lawsuit filed by two Georgia election workers. —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024

Nelson brought and settled two defamation lawsuits over Eminem's statements about her in magazines and on radio talk shows. —CBS News, 4 Dec. 2024

Drake also hinted at suing UMG for defamation for allowing Lamar to call him a pedophile on the track rather than refusing to release the song. —Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2024

Two months later, Giuliani was disbarred in Washington, D.C. Giuliani also faces criminal cases in Georgia and Arizona over election subversion efforts, and he was also hit with defamation lawsuits from voting technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see defame

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing defamation

• anti-defamation

Legal Definition

defamation

noun

de·​fa·​ma·​tion ˌde-fə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: communication to third parties of false statements about a person that injure the reputation of or deter others from associating with that person see also libel, slander, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan compare disparagement, false light, slander of title

2

: a defamatory communication

every repetition of the defamation is a publication

—W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton