as in libelous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name
defamatory remarks that were published in the newspaper
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Recent Examples of defamatory
The fact that David famously sued the filmmakers prior to its Sundance premiere, claiming the documentary was defamatory to him and his company, Westgate Resorts.
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
The additional $3 million was awarded to Fischgrund due to defamatory comments made about her that harmed her reputation and caused her shame.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Liman found that since Lively's claims against Baldoni were first made in a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (which was then reported on by The New York Times), the claims are covered by litigation privilege and not considered defamatory.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2025
All of the defendants have denied making defamatory statements about Clemishire.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
In June 2024, a UK High Court judge determined that actor Lee Ingleby’s depiction was defamatory in a preliminary judgment, meaning the claim could be heard as a full trial.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Posts that include false or defamatory statements, personal attacks, or confidential company information aren’t protected, for example.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
The lawyers also argued that the article is not defamatory.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
The countersuit also alleges that Gables shared his previous lawsuit with the media and that Smith’s reputation has been damaged by the defamatory claims, resulting in the rapper being dropped from two advertising campaigns.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
The additional $3 million was awarded to Fischgrund due to defamatory comments made about her that harmed her reputation and caused her shame.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Liman found that since Lively's claims against Baldoni were first made in a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (which was then reported on by The New York Times), the claims are covered by litigation privilege and not considered defamatory.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Nov. 2025
All of the defendants have denied making defamatory statements about Clemishire.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
In June 2024, a UK High Court judge determined that actor Lee Ingleby’s depiction was defamatory in a preliminary judgment, meaning the claim could be heard as a full trial.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Posts that include false or defamatory statements, personal attacks, or confidential company information aren’t protected, for example.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
The lawyers also argued that the article is not defamatory.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
The countersuit also alleges that Gables shared his previous lawsuit with the media and that Smith’s reputation has been damaged by the defamatory claims, resulting in the rapper being dropped from two advertising campaigns.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamatory
Adjective
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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
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And in this age of clickbait journalism, even those members of the legacy media have resorted to libelous headlines and false reports to generate views.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Patients who received the erroneous letters can contact MaineHealth’s patient relations department to confirm their status — alive and well — and ensure their records remain accurate.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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So that's completely erroneous.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defamatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamatory. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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