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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Trump asked a judge to order News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch to testify immediately in his defamation lawsuit over the Wall Street Journal’s reporting on Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, with the president citing the 94-year-old media mogul’s age to justify the request.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025 -
His lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal seeking $10 billion for defamation because of a sketch on a birthday card is beyond laughable.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 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
-
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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On July 18, the president sued the Wall Street Journal's publisher, Dow Jones & Company, as well as its owner, Rupert Murdoch, alleging the story amounted to libel and slander.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
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Key Facts Trump filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida alleging libel, assault and slander against Murdoch, Dow Jones and the two reporters behind the Journal’s story, according to multiple outlets.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
18 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
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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 3 Aug. 2025.
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