as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the callous defaming of the popular actress by the unscrupulous tabloid reporter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smearing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accusing
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 defaming
Noun
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The still Shari Redstone-run Paramount Global announced the settlement figure as $16 million, the same amount that Disney reached in December to resolve a Trump defamation lawsuit against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 July 2025 -
The historic report from Guidepost Solutions also led to a defamation lawsuit by Hunt and pushback from some Southern Baptists resistant to certain reform.—
Liam Adams,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
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The post quickly sparked outrage, with many Reddit users accusing the neighbor of manipulation.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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These investigations include inquiries into safety violations by SpaceX and an SEC lawsuit accusing Musk of securities fraud.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After The New York Times ran an investigative story looking into Lively's claims, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against the outlet, alleging libel, which The New York Times denied.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
10 June 2025
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On New Year’s Eve, Lively formally sued Baldoni, who simultaneously filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the Times.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2025
Verb
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Both cases were dismissed last November in line with longstanding Justice Department policy against indicting sitting presidents.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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The court ruled Friday that prosecutors held him in detention too long before indicting him and cited questions about the legality of investigations into the president.—
Sophia Vento,
The Hill,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Poor data quality can provide wrong models and alerts, discrediting predictive monitoring.—
Hrushikesh Deshmukh,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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Johnson released new guidelines for reporting gifts Wednesday after discrediting the investigation.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaming. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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