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
Relevance
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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During the defamation trial, relatives of victims described threats and harassment from Jones’s followers who believed the claims.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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Ciattarelli denied the claim and vowed to file a defamation lawsuit, according to reports.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The recklessness of Netanyahu's government has smeared on Israel's face a stain that will be difficult to erase even with a generation's effort.—
Ehud Barak,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
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The demand for arbitration alleged a campaign to smear the former anchor.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Sermon on the ‘Mount episode also represented, amid the resulting furor on the right, a canny announcement that the collected calumnies of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are finally available on the Paramount Plus streaming service, after years licensed on Warner Bros.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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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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Cite this Entry
“Calumniate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calumniate. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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