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 has denied the allegations against him and filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025 -
Weeks later, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane, accusing the trio of civil extortion and defamation.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, his critics have targeted the package, with Republican lawmakers accusing him of spurring inflation.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
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 3 Mar. 2025.
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