1
as in libels
to make untrue and harmful statements about
of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accuses
archaic
to make a claim of wrongdoing against
so the harmless old woman was defamed of witchcraft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defames
Verb
-
The case, first filed in Loudoun County Circuit Court in May 2025 and later moved to federal court on May 27, 2026, accuses the restaurant of failing to maintain safe conditions for guests.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
2 June 2026 -
The criminal indictment accuses the ship operator of intentionally relying on an improper fuel pump and then lying about it to investigators.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
This chilling, starkly beautiful ambient piece draws Nebraska’s marginal whispers to the forefront and smears them across the picture plane.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The five pieces offer, in turn, biomorphic hints of de Kooning, the ragged shapes of Clyfford Still, the bold geometries of Ellsworth Kelly, the paint smears of Gerhard Richter, and something that looks like toothpaste squeezed onto an orange peel.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The beginning of this short but deeply human missive indicts the racial politics of the era and the shameful legacy of slavery.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
Véliz indicts the process of prediction on two levels.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Incompetent leadership humiliates us on the global stage.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defames. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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