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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Rebel Wilson has been accused of defamation by an actress in The Deb, her directorial debut that has become embroiled in a messy legal saga.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
8 Aug. 2025 -
At certain times, such conspiratorial thinking and refusal to accept the evidence will become dangerous—people will spin up fantasies that result in acts of defamation or threats of violence.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The post quickly sparked outrage, with many Reddit users accusing the neighbor of manipulation.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
-
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
-
Trump appears to be the first sitting President or Presidential nominee in American history to sue for libel or defamation.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
-
Now Trump has filed a lawsuit for libel and slander against the Wall Street Journal, its publisher, two of its reporters, and News Corp founder and former friend Rupert Murdoch.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
20 July 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
-
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 24 Aug. 2025.
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