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

• libel
• libelling
• defaming
• libeling

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

Spacey’s name was cited on a lengthy list of Epstein’s acquaintances and associates, which were released on Jan. 4, 2024 courtesy of unsealed court documents that were part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit against Epstein’s right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 15 July 2025

Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey, who Martha was allegedly based on, filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix in June 2024, accusing the network of defamation and inaccuracy. —Latoya Gayle, People.com, 14 July 2025

The Indiana Democracy Collective and Indiana Progressive Collaborative, which are named defendants in Watts' defamation lawsuit, collectively raised $1.8 million in 2023, according to their latest publicly available 990 filings. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 14 July 2025

In the late 1990s, Preska was the judge for the defamation lawsuit brought by wrongly accused Olympic Park bombing suspect Richard Jewell against the New York Post. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

see defame

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing defamation

• anti-defamation

Rhymes for defamation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

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