calumnious

adjective

Definition of calumniousnext
as in erroneous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name a calumnious campaign ad that went well beyond the negativity to which voters had become so richly accustomed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for calumnious
  1. erroneous
  2. libelous
  3. slanderous
  4. defamatory
  5. scandalous
  6. false
  7. incorrect
Adjective
  • Another problem was an erroneous assumption about the longevity of fillers.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
  • In addition, the trial judge gave the jury erroneous instructions, the appeals court ruled.
    — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • Questions concern how the courts would assess who or what might be responsible for faulty algorithms or other flaws in system design and whether a robot was negligent or malicious when disseminating libelous content damaging individuals or organizations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
  • In recent weeks, though, her group has doubled in size, and while in the past there were only two or three posts per day, Mitchell and her new moderators now have to wade through 60-plus comments ranging from helpful to libelous.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Definition of libelous
Adjective
  • Societies throughout history have punished language deemed blasphemous, seditious, inciting or slanderous.
    — Paul Quigley, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
  • The group’s ads on his past felony bank fraud charges were decried by Ford as slanderous.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of slanderous
Adjective
  • However, Trump allies have pushed election theories about a Venezuelan connection for years without proof, and a judge ruled in 2023 that statements made by Fox News personalities about Dominion’s connections to Venezuela were defamatory.
    — Kiara Moore, The Washington Examiner, 6 July 2026
  • His countersuit was dismissed in June 2025, after Liman ruled that Lively's claims could not be considered defamatory.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026
Definition of defamatory
Adjective
  • West Wilson, Amanda Batula, and Ben Waddell will not be returning, though the latter is departing for less scandalous reasons.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • The reasons aren’t always scandalous, and in some cases, recasting the role even worked out for the best.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Definition of scandalous
Adjective
  • Judge Ranjan identified several problems with MET’s claims, including MET’s allegation that UA engaged in false advertising by portraying Celliant as having the FDA’s blessing.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026
  • Coney Barrett shared her experience bringing home a bulletproof vest and having her house swatted, or subject to false police reports.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • Inspectors also noticed that cold foods were being held at incorrect temperatures, according to the report.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • In the suit, they are referred to as a guidance counselor and principal, which the school district’s attorneys claim is incorrect.
    — Austin Horn July 14, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Definition of incorrect
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

calumniators
calumnious
calumny
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Calumnious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calumnious. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All