as in libellous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name
a calumnious campaign ad that went well beyond the negativity to which voters had become so richly accustomed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calumnious
Adjective
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It must also be said that, for all the lamenting of the Netherlands’ failure to win, West Germany — and Muller — were robbed of a clear goal in the second half due to an erroneous offside flag.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025 -
On Thursday, an erroneous report of a man with a gun sent two Boulder schools into lockdown.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In recent weeks, though, her group has doubled in size, and while in the past there were only two or three posts per day, Mitchell and her new moderators now have to wade through 60-plus comments ranging from helpful to libelous.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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And in this age of clickbait journalism, even those members of the legacy media have resorted to libelous headlines and false reports to generate views.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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After a series of lawsuits, a judge found the author's claims defamatory.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
10 Sep. 2025
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Meghan's team has been arguing the statements complained about were largely opinions or were substantially true, and therefore not defamatory.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is a shockingly scandalous choice for an amateur theater debut.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Sep. 2025
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Music supervisor Matt Biffa relishes more than a few needle drops catered to scandalous character beats that only enrich this viewing experience.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Also, unfavorable factors are the extension price tag that can top tens of billions of dollars annually, and eligibility that includes those making 400% the poverty rate.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Two years before the Rule was finalized in 1944, the Supreme Court made unfavorable (unpublished) comments about a draft proposal permitting the government to take pretrial depositions.—
Robert Anello,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The false assurance was more than a slip.—
Eric Tucker,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
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Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct anti-immigration English Defence League (EDL), was released from prison earlier this year, having been jailed for being in contempt of court by repeating false accusations about a Syrian refugee.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Calumnious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calumnious. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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