Synonyms of traduce

traduce

verb

trə-ˈdüs 

1

as in to violate

to fail to keep

a law that traduces one of our most cherished rights: the right to privacy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• break
• offend
• transgress
• contravene
• breach
• infringe (on or upon)
• ignore
• fracture
• disobey
• disregard
• flout
• dismiss
• resist
• neglect
• rebel
• tune out
• scorn
• pass over
• brush (off)
• slight
• defy
• overlook
• blow off
• withstand
• shrug off
• pooh-pooh
• wink (at)
• overpass

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follow
• obey
• observe
• comply (with)
• serve
• conform (to)
• submit (to)
• yield (to)
• mind
• hear
• listen (to)
• attend
• regard
• watch
• notice
• note
• surrender (to)
• mark
• defer (to)
• heed

2

as in to libel

to make untrue and harmful statements about

my opponent in this campaign may villainously traduce me, but I will not stoop to his level

Synonyms & Similar Words

• libel
• smear
• humiliate
• discredit
• vilify
• malign
• slander
• defame
• disgrace
• calumniate
• asperse
• denigrate
• blacken
• disparage
• shame
• belittle
• detract
• dishonor
• humble
• debase
• degrade
• disdain
• scorn
• abase

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• honor
• exalt
• commend
• glorify
• applaud
• praise
• respect
• regard
• admire
• esteem
• worship
• adore
• acclaim
• revere
• venerate

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb traduce differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of traduce are asperse, calumniate, defame, malign, slander, and vilify. While all these words mean "to injure by speaking ill of," traduce stresses the resulting ignominy and distress to the victim.

so traduced the governor that he was driven from office

When is asperse a more appropriate choice than traduce?

The words asperse and traduce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, asperse implies continued attack on a reputation often by indirect or insinuated detraction.

both candidates aspersed the other's motives

In what contexts can calumniate take the place of traduce?

In some situations, the words calumniate and traduce are roughly equivalent. However, calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions.

falsely calumniated as a traitor

When would defame be a good substitute for traduce?

While in some cases nearly identical to traduce, defame stresses the actual loss of or injury to one's good name.

sued them for defaming her reputation

When is it sensible to use malign instead of traduce?

The meanings of malign and traduce largely overlap; however, malign suggests specific and often subtle misrepresentation but may not always imply deliberate lying.

the most maligned monarch in British history

When might slander be a better fit than traduce?

The words slander and traduce can be used in similar contexts, but slander stresses the suffering of the victim.

town gossips slandered their good name

When could vilify be used to replace traduce?

While the synonyms vilify and traduce are close in meaning, vilify implies attempting to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse.

no criminal was more vilified in the press

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of traduce

Far more than their predecessors, Hegseth and President Trump have traduced the once-firm line between politics and the military. —Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026

In roundtable talks, their full humanity emerged: their fatigue at fighting gangsters to a draw and their guilt for how that fight traduced them. —Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2025

Those serenely appraising eyes refuse to be traduced by any fiction. —Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023

Her infatuation traduces the complexities of interracial, interspecies, and cross-cultural attraction. —Armond White, National Review, 26 May 2023

And the academic establishment traduced it, mocked it, minimized it. —Ariana Marsh, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 Mar. 2023

Its founding principles and its 1968 charter are of a bygone era, and they have been violated and traduced by the Palestinians’ own official practice. —Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021

Authors and illustrators are being flamed online and having their reputations traduced and their careers threatened for transgressing the capricious new standards of ideological purity. —Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2020

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