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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Baldoni is suing her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025 -
Some of those lies have been costly: In 2023, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation lawsuit, paying almost $800 million to avoid trial, according to The Associated Press.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Pryor sued in October, accusing the NCAA, the Big Ten, Ohio State and Learfield of conspiring to violate antitrust law and unjustly enriching themselves.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
8 Jan. 2025
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Investors and customers alike had railed against the deal when it was first announced in August 2023, with the former calling it too expensive and accusing Forward Air of skirting a traditional shareholder vote to carry it out.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Freedman has suggested that Gottlieb was responsible, at least in part, for the bombshell New York Times article regarding Lively’s accusations against Baldoni, who is currently suing the publication for libel and false light invasion of privacy.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2025
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Baldoni is suing Lively, Reynolds, and their PR rep for defamation and extortion, as well as the NYT for libel.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In July, her office led the charge in indicting employees of Radius Recycling – formerly known as Schnitzer Steel – regarding a massive 2023 fire that spewed toxic smoke across the East Bay.—
Jakob Rodgers,
The Mercury News,
9 Oct. 2024
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Following Hamas’s attack, the government has rolled back this campaign by detaining and indicting Arab citizens over their social media posts and preventing Arab antiwar demonstrations.—
Aluf Benn,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Many of the conspiracy theories have prompted FEMA to create a page on its site discrediting rumors and false information about its response to Hurricane Helene.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
14 Oct. 2024
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Still, the United States didn’t recognize Haiti as a nation until 1862, during the Civil War, when American leadership was looking for any support in discrediting slavery.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes,
10 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Defaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaming. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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