as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the governor's office issued a statement accusing the state's largest newspaper of libel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smear
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the court decided that the newspaper's reportage of the former mayor, while irresponsible, did not constitute an effort to libel him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of libel
Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
Actual malice is the legal standard by which courts determine if someone is liable for libel.
—Keely Bastow, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for libel
Noun
The judge also dismissed a libel suit Baldoni filed against the New York Times.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
Actual malice is the legal standard by which courts determine if someone is liable for libel.
—Keely Bastow, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
Please ask your daughter to stop libeling Miss Manners.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for libel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libel
Noun
-
When Faye won Senegal’s 2024 presidential election, it was widely understood as a victory engineered by Sonko, his political mentor who had been barred from contesting the election himself after a defamation conviction.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
-
Claims of conspiracy, defamation and trespassing have swirled.—
DANA HEDGPETH THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top.—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
-
The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top.—
Laura Ungar,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Well, to slander their enemies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Let evil recoil on those who slander Kendra; in your faithfulness destroy them.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Day, acquitted of one killing, but convicted of the other in 1994, has long alleged Chicago police tied to disgraced former police Cmdr.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Why are adults so comfortable publicly disgracing Black teenage girls going to their prom and being cruel toward strangers who are sometimes half their age?—
Essence,
Essence,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Orbán’s rule was marked by a sprawling media ecosystem, which for years served as a loyal mouthpiece for his Fidesz party while discrediting, defaming and intimidating his opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
The year before that, Giuliani reached a settlement with the Georgia election workers he’d been charged with defaming.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Stories that discredit Israel’s enemies, such as about Hamas’s crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, are reported grudgingly, if at all.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
-
Orbán’s rule was marked by a sprawling media ecosystem, which for years served as a loyal mouthpiece for his Fidesz party while discrediting, defaming and intimidating his opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Libel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libel. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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