libeling 1 of 2

noun

variants or libelling
as in libel
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation the underhanded politician resorted to libeling when it became clear that that was the only way he was going to win the election

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

libeling

2 of 2

verb

variants or libelling
present participle of libel
as in smearing
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for libeling
  1. libel
  2. smearing
  3. defamation
  4. slandering
  5. defaming
  6. maligning
  7. disgracing
  8. vilifying
Noun
  • Reuters — Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British novelist and former politician who was jailed for lying in a high-profile libel case, has died aged 86, his publisher HarperCollins said on Monday.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
  • His political career, which included a spell as the Conservative Party’s deputy chairman, was interrupted by a period in prison in 2001 after he was found guilty of lying and cheating in a 1987 libel case against The Daily Star newspaper.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of libel
Verb
  • Yet what follows is an extended list of ethical sins, with a focus on the sins of abusive speech, such as slandering, slurring, slighting and smearing the reputations of others.
    — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
  • People have gone from smearing the compound on their faces to using injections, in hopes of achieving firmer, wrinkle-free skin and other anti-aging benefits.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of smearing
Noun
  • Gibney has never been one to shy away from controversy, but even before Musk’s release, the film drew the ire of its subject and threats of a defamation lawsuit.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Conrad’s legal team includes Camille Vasquez, who was among the attorneys who represented actor Johnny Depp in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of defamation
Verb
  • Yet what follows is an extended list of ethical sins, with a focus on the sins of abusive speech, such as slandering, slurring, slighting and smearing the reputations of others.
    — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Shocking lies Within hours, the administration was slandering her.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Jan. 2026
Definition of slandering
Verb
  • Protecting a predator is not theology, and defaming his victim is not church doctrine.
    — Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Rebel Wilson was found not liable of defaming a young actress who played the starring role in her directorial debut, The Deb.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2026
Definition of defaming
Verb
  • Policymakers defend draconian cuts to Medicaid by maligning the work ethic or honesty of low-income women, despite substantial evidence to the contrary.
    — Jocelyn Frye, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026
  • Underneath it, the authors of the flyer listed a few dubious talking points maligning immigrants.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of maligning
Verb
  • Social media users have critiqued her body both when with and without child and have accused her of disgracing the image of Black women.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 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
Definition of disgracing
Verb
  • One need look no further back in history than 20th-century Europe to see what can happen when populations and government officials begin vilifying the Jewish people.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Both factors have spent much of 2026 vilifying Volpe’s play, particularly on defense.
    — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of vilifying
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

libelers
libeling
libelist
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Cite this Entry

“Libeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libeling. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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