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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in libeling
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
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Recent Examples of defaming
Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
One unusual choice presents a climactic murder only in a photo seen decades later, along with articles defaming the victim.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Among election delusion peddlers, Oltmann has distinguished himself by calling for violence and defaming innocent people.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Weeks after the initial complaint was filed in May, Robinson filed a $500 million cross-complaint that accused the plaintiffs and their legal counsel of defaming him at a press conference.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 10 Dec. 2025
Lindell was indicted by a federal jury in June for defaming a former Colorado voting system executive for claiming election fraud in the 2020 election.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
He also was found liable for defaming an employee of Dominion Voting Systems earlier this year.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 3 Dec. 2025
He was found liable in 2023 for defaming two Georgia election workers after falsely accusing them of ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The Canadian rapper and actor’s claim was that the label participated in defaming him by publishing and promoting the song.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
The acquisition came after Jones was found guilty multiple times of defaming the families of the children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, after repeatedly describing the massacre as a hoax.
—Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
One unusual choice presents a climactic murder only in a photo seen decades later, along with articles defaming the victim.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Among election delusion peddlers, Oltmann has distinguished himself by calling for violence and defaming innocent people.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Weeks after the initial complaint was filed in May, Robinson filed a $500 million cross-complaint that accused the plaintiffs and their legal counsel of defaming him at a press conference.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 10 Dec. 2025
Lindell was indicted by a federal jury in June for defaming a former Colorado voting system executive for claiming election fraud in the 2020 election.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
He also was found liable for defaming an employee of Dominion Voting Systems earlier this year.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 3 Dec. 2025
He was found liable in 2023 for defaming two Georgia election workers after falsely accusing them of ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The Canadian rapper and actor’s claim was that the label participated in defaming him by publishing and promoting the song.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaming
Noun
-
The complaint accuses Damon and Affleck, via their production company Artists Equity and the LLC Falco Productions, of defamation, defamation by implication and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
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Smith and Santana are seeking damages exceeding $75,000 for allegations of defamation and emotional distress.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Spain has been critical of Russia’s war in Ukraine and of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and has backed the South African case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
Musk is currently embroiled in a court battle against OpenAI, accusing CEO Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of abandoning the company’s original nonprofit creed of developing open-source AI to benefit humans by turning it into a for-profit entity.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit against the Times on December 31, 2024.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
-
The judge also dismissed a libel suit Baldoni filed against the New York Times.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
Verb
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In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.—
George Harris,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The pigment lasts all day without smearing.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That led to a federal investigation indicting 79 election judges and precinct captains, nearly all of whom pleaded guilty.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
The indictment was returned on April 30, indicting Jamie Jones and Christopher Wackerly.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Shocking lies Within hours, the administration was slandering her.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
17 Jan. 2026
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And then the media was slandering our dad’s name and reputation after a lifetime of being a fairly wholesome guy.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Underneath it, the authors of the flyer listed a few dubious talking points maligning immigrants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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Angel went for a respectful middle-of-the-road jab — complimenting her parenting and resilience, but maligning her for being petty.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These efforts apparently relied on a mix of sock-puppet accounts across social media platforms, which promoted the spurious claims of vilifying websites.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
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Southern Poverty Law Center has determined RAIR Foundation is an anti-Muslim hate group promoting conspiracy theories and vilifying American Muslim communities.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaming. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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