as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the short-lived Sedition Act of 1798 made it illegal to calumniate the President of the United States
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
his campaign's reliance on calumniation seems out of keeping with his claim that he's a new kind of politician
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calumniate
Verb
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025 -
As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Spacey’s name was cited on a lengthy list of Epstein’s acquaintances and associates, which were released on Jan. 4, 2024 courtesy of unsealed court documents that were part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit against Epstein’s right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
15 July 2025
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The Indiana Democracy Collective and Indiana Progressive Collaborative, which are named defendants in Watts' defamation lawsuit, collectively raised $1.8 million in 2023, according to their latest publicly available 990 filings.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Blood appeared to be smeared across the woman’s nose and mouth and across the sheets, according to court documents.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2025
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In the video, Adira takes a special liking to the lipstick, smearing it all over her own mouth and chin, while Olympia seemed to be taking her mom’s notes on how to perfect a makeup look.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
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That’s when his ugly-American calumny turned to blather.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
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That brings us to the other calumnies Vance and Trump have directed at the Haitians in Springfield.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Calumniate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calumniate. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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