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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Spacey’s name was cited on a lengthy list of Epstein’s acquaintances and associates, which were released on Jan. 4, 2024 courtesy of unsealed court documents that were part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit against Epstein’s right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
15 July 2025 -
Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey, who Martha was allegedly based on, filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix in June 2024, accusing the network of defamation and inaccuracy.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
14 July 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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On July 18, the president sued the Wall Street Journal's publisher, Dow Jones & Company, as well as its owner, Rupert Murdoch, alleging the story amounted to libel and slander.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
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Key Facts Trump filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida alleging libel, assault and slander against Murdoch, Dow Jones and the two reporters behind the Journal’s story, according to multiple outlets.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
18 July 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 30 Jul. 2025.
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