as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the callous defaming of the popular actress by the unscrupulous tabloid reporter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smearing
to make untrue and harmful statements about
of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accusing
archaic
to make a claim of wrongdoing against
so the harmless old woman was defamed of witchcraft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaming
Noun
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The Tate brothers also have an ongoing defamation lawsuit in the Palm Beach Circuit Court.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025 -
After a federal court dismissed the lawsuit in 2019, Energy Transfer filed a defamation lawsuit in state court.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Pryor sued in October, accusing the NCAA, the Big Ten, Ohio State and Learfield of conspiring to violate antitrust law and unjustly enriching themselves.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
8 Jan. 2025
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However, his critics have targeted the package, with Republican lawmakers accusing him of spurring inflation.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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On New Year’s Eve, Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs, including his crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, sued the New York Times for $250 million for libel.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2025
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Baldoni, for is part, filed a libel lawsuit for $250 million against The New York Times—which first reported on Lively’s complaint—six days later.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In July, her office led the charge in indicting employees of Radius Recycling – formerly known as Schnitzer Steel – regarding a massive 2023 fire that spewed toxic smoke across the East Bay.—
Jakob Rodgers,
The Mercury News,
9 Oct. 2024
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Following Hamas’s attack, the government has rolled back this campaign by detaining and indicting Arab citizens over their social media posts and preventing Arab antiwar demonstrations.—
Aluf Benn,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Many of the conspiracy theories have prompted FEMA to create a page on its site discrediting rumors and false information about its response to Hurricane Helene.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
14 Oct. 2024
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Still, the United States didn’t recognize Haiti as a nation until 1862, during the Civil War, when American leadership was looking for any support in discrediting slavery.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes,
10 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Defaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaming. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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