1
as in libeled
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accused
archaic
to make a claim of wrongdoing against
so the harmless old woman was defamed of witchcraft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of defamed
On June 1, a seven-person jury reached a verdict, deciding that Depp proved ex-wife Heard defamed him.
—
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Similar allegations against Roberts-Smith were found credible in a civil court case in 2023 when a judge rejected his claims that newspaper articles defamed him.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
When witnesses are abused and defamed simply for doing their civic duty, their lives are shattered and our entire justice system is put at risk.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Grigsby, who was hired by Hedspeth last year and fired in February, amended her lawsuit Tuesday to further allege Merritt defamed her in conversations with aldermen as Merritt lobbied to be named commissioner.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Baldoni, 42, last year countersued, bringing claims against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging he’d been defamed and extorted and demanding an enormous $400 million in damages.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
Pournouri had alleged that a Netflix documentary two years before the 2018 death of the DJ, whose real name is Tim Bergling, and two posthumously released books defamed him, violating a 2016 agreement that supposedly prevented Bergling from speaking about their partnership.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
Seitz said the men had assaulted him, and that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and deputies had violated his civil rights, inflicted emotional stress, defamed him and conspired to keep the matter quiet.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Those who sue for defamation must prove the statements were factually inaccurate and caused harm to the individuals defamed.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Similar allegations against Roberts-Smith were found credible in a civil court case in 2023 when a judge rejected his claims that newspaper articles defamed him.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
When witnesses are abused and defamed simply for doing their civic duty, their lives are shattered and our entire justice system is put at risk.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Grigsby, who was hired by Hedspeth last year and fired in February, amended her lawsuit Tuesday to further allege Merritt defamed her in conversations with aldermen as Merritt lobbied to be named commissioner.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Baldoni, 42, last year countersued, bringing claims against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging he’d been defamed and extorted and demanding an enormous $400 million in damages.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
Pournouri had alleged that a Netflix documentary two years before the 2018 death of the DJ, whose real name is Tim Bergling, and two posthumously released books defamed him, violating a 2016 agreement that supposedly prevented Bergling from speaking about their partnership.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
Seitz said the men had assaulted him, and that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and deputies had violated his civil rights, inflicted emotional stress, defamed him and conspired to keep the matter quiet.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Those who sue for defamation must prove the statements were factually inaccurate and caused harm to the individuals defamed.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamed
Verb
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Other signs accused Bezos of not paying enough in taxes.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
The commission has reviewed other cases involving officers from around the state accused of misconduct, among them several from the LAPD, including a former homicide detective repeatedly arrested on drunk driving charges and a detective accused of purchasing a possible silencer from China.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Farran asked, gazing at their graves — cardboard signs smeared with handwritten Arabic because the war has made a proper burial in their village impossible.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Later on, Firecracker was tasked with addressing her church's destruction on television and smeared their reputation, betraying her former life and beliefs.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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James Comey gets indicted again, the Pentagon says how much the Iran war has cost taxpayers, and viral trend is removing door handles.—
Jeremy Mikula,
NBC news,
2 May 2026
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Those indicted by the grand jury include members of the Gerodemos family — who are longtime owners of the Paragon restaurant in Hobart and Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
This Mets team, with the second-highest MLB payroll at $369 million, had just been humiliated by a franchise that lost 119 games a year ago.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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One such accusation resulted in a federal lawsuit filed in September in which the former head of the Colorado Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind alleged DHS management humiliated and discriminated against him before forcing him out of his job.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defamed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamed. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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