Definition of DEFAMING

Choose the Right Synonym for defame

malign, traduce, asperse, vilify, calumniate, defame, slander mean to injure by speaking ill of. malign suggests specific and often subtle misrepresentation but may not always imply deliberate lying. the most maligned monarch in British history traduce stresses the resulting ignominy and distress to the victim. so traduced the governor that he was driven from office asperse implies continued attack on a reputation often by indirect or insinuated detraction. both candidates aspersed the other's motives vilify implies attempting to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse. no criminal was more vilified in the press calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions. falsely calumniated as a traitor defame stresses the actual loss of or injury to one's good name. sued them for defaming her reputation slander stresses the suffering of the victim. town gossips slandered their good name

Examples of defame in a Sentence

He says he was defamed by reports that falsely identified him as a former gangster. of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so

Recent Examples on the Web

On top of this, anyone even vaguely familiar with how respectable Washington defamed Judge Robert Bork and grossly distorted his record during his Supreme Court hearings further appreciates that incivility didn’t start when Mr. Trump came to town. — William Mcgurn, WSJ, "Playing the Civility Card," 10 Sep. 2018 Russian tech guru Aleksej Gubarev claimed that his companies, Webzilla and XBT Holding, were defamed after Buzzfeed published the 35-page unverified dossier authored by Christopher Steele in January 2017. — Cyd Upson, Fox News, "Grassley demands to see ex-spy Christopher Steele's videotaped deposition," 9 Aug. 2018 A day after being hit with a lawsuit by Stormy Daniels, her former lawyer slapped back Thursday with a countersuit alleging that he was defamed by the pornographic film actress and her current counsel. — Michael Finnegan, latimes.com, "Stormy Daniels’ former attorney countersues her and Michael Avenatti for defamation," 8 June 2018 Martin Tripp, an ex-Tesla technician the company has accused of hacking and sabotage, has now countersued his former employer and claimed that Tesla defamed him. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Man accused of sabotage at Tesla brings his own lawsuit over defamation," 31 July 2018 That means Daniels’s individual case—who signed what; who defamed whom—could be a catalyst of historic proportions. — Amy Chozick, Vogue, "Stormy Daniels Isn’t Backing Down," 28 Aug. 2018 Along the way, Eggert has defamed and harassed my family, friends, my wife’s charitable foundation, the families of the children that foundation helps, and many others. — Alexia Fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Scott Baio Claims Nicole Eggert Accused Him of Assault to 'Relaunch Her Own Career'," 20 June 2018 His strategy of defaming and lying about our true accusations will cost him further as my defamation case will now be going forward. — Gabriella Paiella, The Cut, "Nineteen Cosby survivors on finally getting a guilty verdict.," 27 Apr. 2018 Stephanie Clifford, the former adult-film actress professionally known as Stormy Daniels, filed a lawsuit on Monday against President Donald Trump in Manhattan federal court, accusing him of defaming her in a recent tweet. — Nicole Hong, WSJ, "Stormy Daniels Sues Trump for Defamation," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defame.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.