as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the callous defaming of the popular actress by the unscrupulous tabloid reporter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smearing
to make untrue and harmful statements about
of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accusing
archaic
to make a claim of wrongdoing against
so the harmless old woman was defamed of witchcraft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaming
Noun
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In a separate move Wednesday, Trump also took action against the law firm Susman Godfrey, which represented Dominion Voting Systems in its high-profile defamation lawsuit against Fox News.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025 -
Federal courts apply state law to defamation cases.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The post quickly sparked outrage, with many Reddit users accusing the neighbor of manipulation.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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These investigations include inquiries into safety violations by SpaceX and an SEC lawsuit accusing Musk of securities fraud.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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What To Know The lawsuit filed Friday accuses the Associated Press of defamation and libel.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
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Supreme Court rejects Steve Wynn appeal The Supreme Court has turned back an appeal from casino mogul Steve Wynn, who had challenged a landmark libel ruling as part of a lawsuit against The Associated Press.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Both cases were dismissed last November in line with longstanding Justice Department policy against indicting sitting presidents.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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The court ruled Friday that prosecutors held him in detention too long before indicting him and cited questions about the legality of investigations into the president.—
Sophia Vento,
The Hill,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Poor data quality can provide wrong models and alerts, discrediting predictive monitoring.—
Hrushikesh Deshmukh,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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Johnson released new guidelines for reporting gifts Wednesday after discrediting the investigation.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaming. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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