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

Kari Lake attempted to invoke it in 2023 after she was sued for defamation by former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, but was unsuccessful. —Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025

But multi-year defamation suits on both sides of the Atlantic from his split from ex-wife Amber Heard resulted in a string of headlines that Hollywood found unappetizing, and Depp found himself on the outs with studios. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025

The film marks Depp's first project from a major American studio since his controversial defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025

As for Depp, this marks one of his biggest roles in some time following his defamation-lawsuit victory in 2022. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Oct. 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