defamatory

adjective

as in libelous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name defamatory remarks that were published in the newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of defamatory Attorneys with Howard Cooper, Todd & Weld, the law firm representing Patrick Clancy, are calling statements like that patently false and defamatory, warning of the real-life consequences making such claims can have. — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 According to the motion, the documentary does not reasonably convey the defamatory implications Banks alleges or suggest that the filmmakers intended to convey them. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 The lawsuit also accuses Jones, who appears in the series and previously sued Combs in 2024, of making defamatory statements in the documentary. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 In a lengthy complaint filed Tuesday and obtained by Rolling Stone, Combs also claimed that Jones made a number of defamatory statements in the four-part special, which aired December 2025 and was recently nominated for three Emmys. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 Williams, who had filed counterclaims against Baumgarten for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about her and tarnishing her reputation, also voluntarily dismissed her suit at the same time. — Catherine Muccigrosso july 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026 Charlotte MacInnes has appealed her defeat in a defamation case against Rebel Wilson, challenging the findings that Wilson’s Instagram posts were not defamatory and did not cause serious harm to her reputation. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 July 2026 MacInnes claimed the four posts, published between September 2024 and July 2025, were defamatory or breached her confidence. — Reuters, NBC news, 22 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamatory
  1. libelous
  2. erroneous
  3. slanderous
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
  • Towers told ProPublica that the audit had reached erroneous conclusions, that the auditors did not give him the opportunity to fully defend his work and that the journal’s willingness to stand by the study is proof that his research is sound.
    — Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • For example, antiquarian scholars introduced the erroneous notion that druids built stone circles—most notably Stonehenge—for their ceremonies, an idea that became embedded in the popular imagination during the 18th century.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • The Tarrant County decorum policy prohibits personal attacks and impertinent, profane, obscene or slanderous remarks.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Societies throughout history have punished language deemed blasphemous, seditious, inciting or slanderous.
    — Paul Quigley, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
Definition of slanderous

Browse Nearby Words

defamation
defamatory
defame
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defamatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamatory. Accessed 28 Aug. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All