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

Smartmatic and Fox News are each asking a New York judge to rule in their favor in the election systems company’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against the network. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 May 2025

What To Know Wallace filed his defamation lawsuit following Lively's administrative complaint. —Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

Earlier this year, Smartmatic settled a defamation lawsuit against right-wing outlet Newsmax, which also gave a platform to Trump’s falsehoods and did not acknowledge that Biden was president-elect for more than a month after the election was called. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Webber scored a big win last month when Dash was ordered to pay him $4 million in a default judgment after losing the defamation lawsuit, a major increase from the $805,000 he was ordered to pay in 2022. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 Apr. 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