as in libelous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name
defamatory remarks that were published in the newspaper
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Recent Examples of defamatory
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
Jenin, Jenin was banned in Israel, and Bakri was ordered by the Israel's Supreme Court in 2022 to pay tens of thousands of dollars after the group found that the film was defamatory to an Israeli military officer.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
The lawsuit alleges that at least one unnamed Kansas City police officer made false or defamatory statements that interfered with Moore’s employment prospects at those departments.
—Benjamin Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 20 Dec. 2025
The newest suit, lodged against the BBC this week, charges that a bad edit to a pre-election film was a defamatory attempt to influence American voters, even though the film did not air in the US.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 Dec. 2025
That statement also broadly claimed Cheng’s posts contained defamatory or distorted information and that his audio recordings were unverified, illegally recorded, and edited, saying relevant parties had taken legal action.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Trump refiled the suit, which related to reporting and a book by two journalists that the president's lawyers argue is defamatory.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
The fact that David famously sued the filmmakers prior to its Sundance premiere, claiming the documentary was defamatory to him and his company, Westgate Resorts.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
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
Jenin, Jenin was banned in Israel, and Bakri was ordered by the Israel's Supreme Court in 2022 to pay tens of thousands of dollars after the group found that the film was defamatory to an Israeli military officer.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
The lawsuit alleges that at least one unnamed Kansas City police officer made false or defamatory statements that interfered with Moore’s employment prospects at those departments.
—Benjamin Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 20 Dec. 2025
The newest suit, lodged against the BBC this week, charges that a bad edit to a pre-election film was a defamatory attempt to influence American voters, even though the film did not air in the US.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 Dec. 2025
That statement also broadly claimed Cheng’s posts contained defamatory or distorted information and that his audio recordings were unverified, illegally recorded, and edited, saying relevant parties had taken legal action.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Trump refiled the suit, which related to reporting and a book by two journalists that the president's lawyers argue is defamatory.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
The fact that David famously sued the filmmakers prior to its Sundance premiere, claiming the documentary was defamatory to him and his company, Westgate Resorts.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamatory
Adjective
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In recent weeks, though, her group has doubled in size, and while in the past there were only two or three posts per day, Mitchell and her new moderators now have to wade through 60-plus comments ranging from helpful to libelous.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
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Keefer called these claims baseless and slanderous.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defamatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamatory. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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