libelous
adjective
li·bel·ous
ˈlī-b(ə-)ləs 
variants
or libellous
: constituting or including a libel : defamatory
a libelous statement
Examples of libelous in a Sentence
libelous statements about a celebrity for which the tabloid was sued
Recent Examples on the Web
In Britain, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist who was jailed for 18 months in October for repeating a libelous claim about a Syrian refugee schoolboy attacking girls.
—
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
Robinson was sentenced late last year to a year and a half in prison due to violating a court order prohibiting him from repeating libelous allegations about a Syrian refugee, and Musk has been calling for his release.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
Any accusation that Israel's objective was to starve innocent civilians—rather than to compel the surrender of Hamas combatants—is not merely unfounded but a libelous distortion of the truth.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Newspapers also worried about potentially libelous posts.
—Mike Savino, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for libelous 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
Robinson was sentenced late last year to a year and a half in prison due to violating a court order prohibiting him from repeating libelous allegations about a Syrian refugee, and Musk has been calling for his release.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
Any accusation that Israel's objective was to starve innocent civilians—rather than to compel the surrender of Hamas combatants—is not merely unfounded but a libelous distortion of the truth.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Newspapers also worried about potentially libelous posts.
—Mike Savino, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for libelous
Dictionary Entries Near libelous
Cite this Entry
“Libelous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/libelous. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
libelous
adjective
li·bel·ous
variants
also libellous
: constituting or including libel
a libelous magazine article
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share