Adjacent Words

Defamation definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DEFAMATION, n. The uttering of slanderous words with a view to injure anothers reputation; the malicious uttering of falsehood respecting another which tends to destroy or impair his good name, character or occupation; slander; calumny. To constitute defamation in law, the words must be false and spoken maliciously. Defamatory words written and published are called a libel.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions [syn: defamation, calumny, calumniation, obloquy, traducement, hatchet job]
2: an abusive attack on a person's character or good name [syn: aspersion, calumny, slander, defamation, denigration]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 14th century the act of defaming another ; calumny • defamatory adjective

Britannica Concise

In law, issuance of false statements about a person that injure the reputation of or deter others from associating with that person. Libel and slander are the legal subcategories of defamation. Libel is defamation in print, pictures, or any other visual symbols. A libel plaintiff must generally establish that the alleged libel refers to him or her specifically, that it was published to others (third parties), and that some injury occurred as a result. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public persons (e.g., celebrities or politicians) alleging libel may recover damages only if they prove that the statement in question was made with "actual malice," that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth (New York Times Co. vs. Sullivan, 1964). Slander is defamation by oral communication. An action for slander may be brought without alleging and proving special injury if the statement has a plainly harmful character, as by imputing to the plaintiff criminal guilt, serious sexual misconduct, or a characteristic affecting his or her business or profession. The defense in defamation cases often takes the form of seeking to establish the truth of the statements in question.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Defamation Def`a*ma"tion, n. [OE. diffamacioun, F. diffamation. See Defame.] Act of injuring another's reputation by any slanderous communication, written or oral; the wrong of maliciously injuring the good name of another; slander; detraction; calumny; aspersion. Note: In modern usage, written defamation bears the title of libel, and oral defamation that of slander. --Burrill.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Defamation is the damaging of someone's good reputation by saying something bad and untrue about them. (FORMAL) He sued for defamation.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Slander, calumny, detraction, obloquy, aspersion, abuse, backbiting, scandal, false accusation.

Moby Thesaurus

attack, backbiting, backstabbing, belittlement, blackening, calumny, character assassination, defamation of character, defilement, denigration, depreciation, disparagement, malicious defamation, muckraking, mudslinging, name-calling, revilement, scandal, slander, smear, smear campaign, smear word, tale, vilification