variants
or libellous
as in erroneous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name
libelous statements about a celebrity for which the tabloid was sued
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of libelous
And in this age of clickbait journalism, even those members of the legacy media have resorted to libelous headlines and false reports to generate views.
—
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
In Britain, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist who was jailed for 18 months in October for repeating a libelous claim about a Syrian refugee schoolboy attacking girls.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
These are false, libelous claims.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Some typical British editor got scared because everything is potentially libelous.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for libelous
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
In Britain, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist who was jailed for 18 months in October for repeating a libelous claim about a Syrian refugee schoolboy attacking girls.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
These are false, libelous claims.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Some typical British editor got scared because everything is potentially libelous.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for libelous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libelous
Adjective
-
Congress foolishly downsized that number in the 1980s and ’90s on the erroneous belief that more doctors would encourage unnecessary health care consumption.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Civilians misidentified as undercover officers have been chased by anti-ICE mobs in public, even while the victims were going about their daily lives, based on erroneous reporting from fellow ICE monitors.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Defendant Metcalf provided false information to Defendant Johnson about what Plaintiff Kennedy allegedly said, thereby instigating and authorizing the publication of the defamatory and reckless statements, which were intended to harm Plaintiff Kennedy.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The court upheld the wrongful termination verdict but found the prosecutor failed to specify which statements were defamatory.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Keefer called these claims baseless and slanderous.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Conversely, the state Attorney General's office believes applying the anti-nepotism law in this situation would be an incorrect and overly broad interpretation.—
David Bauerlein,
Florida Times-Union,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The state’s attorneys said that too was incorrect.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For the bans on Proust and other international writers only applied to translations, allowing those with sufficient linguistic ability to consume scandalous masterpieces from abroad in their original form.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Eschewing overblown drama or scandalous moments, there is a refreshingly down-to-earth tone to The Boyfriend that sets it apart from other reality series.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The racist imagery is strategically embedded within a larger narrative promoting false election fraud conspiracy theories, designed to dehumanize Black and brown voters as threats to democracy and to justify restricting their participation in elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The Iranian shadow fleet consists of tankers and associated companies that operate outside normal commercial channels, often using false identities, ship-to-ship transfers, and deceptive documentation to hide Iranian crude and refined products.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Libelous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libelous. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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