as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the short-lived Sedition Act of 1798 made it illegal to calumniate the President of the United States
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
his campaign's reliance on calumniation seems out of keeping with his claim that he's a new kind of politician
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calumniate
Verb
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025 -
As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Nonetheless, as Push told GQ, his label and their parent label were concerned about the optics of two of Drizzy’s foes linking up amid the ongoing defamation lawsuit.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
24 June 2025
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Shawe, not one to stay out of the courts, sued the lawyer representing the class, Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, for defamation in May 2024.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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In extreme cases, some parents will threaten to smear the therapist's name, leave bad reviews, complain to the licensing board, or even threaten the therapist’s physical safety.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
23 June 2025
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The assertion by certain anonymous users online is a typically out-of-context and absurd effort to create fake news for clicks and to smear.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
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That’s when his ugly-American calumny turned to blather.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
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That brings us to the other calumnies Vance and Trump have directed at the Haitians in Springfield.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Calumniate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calumniate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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