LIBELLING Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for libeling

Noun

In addition to the restraining order, Fif has also filed a $6 million civil suit against Kemp in California, citing libel and slander, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Sommer responded by filing a defamation of character and libel suit seeking $10 million.

— Lindsey Bahr, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of libel

Verb

None of this excuses Chris’ malicious behavior, not just toward Carrie but toward her future stepsister, Brooklyn (Rowan Danielle), and the school as a whole, mostly via a fake Instagram account devoted to smearing students and faculty alike.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
Disliking someone is an opinion — smearing their reputation is something else.

— Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of smearing

Noun

This is the second time a federal judge has tossed the defamation suit, which sought $10 billion in damages.

— Scott Nover, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
Trump sought at least $20 billion in damages on two counts of defamation in the initial suit, filed in July 2025.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of defamation

Verb

There is an extremely deep irony in slandering me as a malicious actor, and confirming my thesis in the same email.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of slandering

Verb

His comments defaming minority races, ethnicities and religions continued as did the number of Republicans turning against him.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
In July, Wilson faced a different trial in Australia and was found not liable for defaming MacInnes.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 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

The two have fought on the commissioners court dais and now are vilifying one another in their campaigns for the County Judge seat.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
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

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.

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libelers

libeling

libelist

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“Libeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libeling. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of libeling

noun

verb

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