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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or libelling
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
Noun
-
Zenger was arrested and accused of seditious libel or content that challenged the authority of the state.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026 -
The nation's highest court overturned a libel case against the newspaper, which had run an ad condemning police treatment of civil rights demonstrators in Montgomery, Alabama.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
This will lead to smearing dust particles around instead of picking them up, which is where a wet cloth comes into play.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
5 June 2026
-
While being held at the Independence Police Department’s detention unit, Ashley allegedly damaged the inside of a cell by smearing feces and blood on the walls and floor.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The Albert and McCabe families have also sued Read and Aidan Kearney, who runs the Turtleboy X account, for defamation.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2026
-
In December 2025, the rapper won a defamation case against blogger Milagro Gramz.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
Shocking lies Within hours, the administration was slandering her.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
17 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
The jury was allowed to find that Trump would not stop defaming Carroll unless he was hit with a substantial financial penalty, the court continued.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Trump has continued to attack Carroll even since being ordered to pay millions for defaming her, and Carroll’s attorneys have not ruled out bringing further litigation.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Underneath it, the authors of the flyer listed a few dubious talking points maligning immigrants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
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
-
The plotting becomes needlessly complicated at times, such as with Jack becoming a local hero after foiling a burglary, and later disgracing himself with a drunken tirade at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which leads to him being arrested and put on trial.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This riveting two-part docuseries preceded the fictional take seen in The Girl From Plainville, taking an unprejudiced and empathetic approach when exploring the complex case, presenting all the facts without vilifying one individual.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
Facebook ads vilifying or praising various measures.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Libeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libeling. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
